BAGHDAD, 17 June 2005 — Sunni Arabs have been allowed to have additional members on a committee charged with drafting Iraq’s new constitution in a deal with the Shiite-led government, both sides announced yesterday.

Disagreement over the make-up of the body has delayed its work for several weeks, hindering the process of drafting the constitution by an Aug. 15 deadline.

Sunni Arabs were originally given just two seats on the 55-member body — reflecting their low turnout in January elections — but Bahaa Al-Araji, a senior committee member, said an agreement had now been reached to increase their number and expand the committee to 70 full members.

“The committee told them how necessary it was that they took part, and they will now have 15 more members and 10 consultants,” Araji said. He said it was up to Sunni Arab leaders to present an agreed list of the 15 names to be added to the committee in the next few days. In recent weeks, Sunni Arabs have squabbled over the names they would like to add to the body.

The head of the Sunni Gathering, an umbrella group of Sunni Arabs that has led the lobbying for increased Sunni representation, said the compromise had been accepted and names would be put forward soon.

“We have agreed to end the controversy so that no one can say the Sunnis are delaying the drafting of the constitution,” Adnan Al-Dulaimi said.

“There are already two Sunnis in the committee so the total will now be 17,” he said.

Overall, the committee will now have 70 members and 15 consultants — 10 of them Sunni Arabs and the other five from various other communities, Araji said.

Work has already begun on drafting the constitution, which must be put to a referendum by Oct. 15. If it is approved at the referendum, then new parliamentary elections will be held in mid-December under the charter.

The United Nations and European Union had urged the committee, dominated by majority Shiites, to give more representation to Sunni Arabs in order to ensure that the constitution is truly representative.

Sunni Arabs make up about 20 percent of Iraq’s 26 million population and Shiites around 60 percent. Kurds, who are predominantly Sunni, make up about 15-20 percent and the remainder is Christian or from other smaller sects.

Meanwhile, the US military announced the capture of Abu Mussab Al-Zarqawi’s most-trusted operations man in the northern city of Mosul. Mohammed Khalaf Shakar, also known as Abu Talha, is “Zarqawi’s most trusted operations agent in all of Iraq,” said a military statement.

He surrendered to US and Iraqi forces on Tuesday without a fight in “a quiet neighborhood in Mosul” after they were led to his whereabouts by “multiple intelligence sources.” “According to former Talha associates, Talha never stayed more than one night at any one residence, and always wore a suicide vest, saying he would never surrender,” the statement added.

Iraqi authorities said recently that they had captured one of Abu Talha’s most trusted aides and his financial manager, Motleq Mahmud Motleq Abdullah, also known as Abu Raed in Mosul on May 28. They had also announced the arrest of another Zarqawi aide in Mosul known as Mulla Mehdi.

Commenting on Abu Talha’s capture, US Air Force Brig. Gen. Donald Alston told reporters in Baghdad: “This is a major defeat for the Al-Qaeda’s terrorist network in Iraq. Zarqawi’s leader in Mosul is out of business.”

— Additional input from agencies