[JURIST] The dominant Sunni Arab political party Iraqi Accordance Front (IAF) [Wikipedia backgrounder] on Tuesday called for a leading role on a legislative committee that will consider possible amendments to the Iraqi constitution [JURIST news archive] in upcoming months. Senior IAF official Iyad al-Samarrai said the IAF should lead the committee because the party had demanded the opportunity to amend the constitution after it was approved in a referendum [JURIST report] last fall. The Iraqi parliament is expected to begin discussing the formation of the committee after it convenes Wednesday for the first time since December elections.

Iraqi leaders agreed to form the constitutional committee last fall as part of a US-brokered last-minute deal [JURIST report] that allowed the constitutional referendum to go forward despite concerns over support from the Sunni population. Sunnis are concerned that the current constitution gives too much autonomy to Kurds and Shiites, who control the oil-rich portions of the country. Reuters has more.