Iraqi President, Jalal Talabani, has said that Iraq's draft constitution is ready to be put to a vote in a referendum on 15 October, ending weeks of tortuous negotiations.
He said the draft will become the 'fundamental law' of the nation if approved by the people.
Iraq's parliament held a special session on the draft constitution but did not vote on it.
The draft was read out before the lawmakers after it was presented in parliament by the head of the constitution drafting panel, Sheikh Humam Hammudi.
The draft lays down the political system of Iraq as 'republican, parliamentary, democratic and federal' and refers to Islam as 'a main source of legislation'.
Sunni Arab negotiators have rejected the draft, but vowed to carry on with the political process in Iraq, saying their objections on certain points of the draft would not stop them participating in elections.
The principal stumbling block throughout the protracted talks had been Shi'ite demands for an autonomous region in Shi'ite-majority areas of the centre and south like that of the Kurds in the north.
Sunnis consistently opposed the demand amid fears they would lose out in the distribution of Iraq's huge oil revenues under a fully federal system, given that the reserves lie almost entirely in the Kurdish north or Shi'ite south.
US President, George Bush, has welcomed the publication of the draft constitution, calling it 'an inspiration' for supporters of democracy.
