Iraq's parliamentary speaker has summoned lawmakers to a special meeting of the National Assembly on Monday, the deadline for completing a draft constitution.
Sunni, Shi'ite and Kurdish negotiators are racing to finish the draft, and U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad told U.S. television networks today-Sunday that he is optimistic the deadline will be met.
Meanwhile, the bodies of 30 people, including two women, have been found in a mass grave 20 kilometers south of Baghdad. Iraqi police say they detained 13 people in connection with the find, and one suspect was killed during the raid.
Separately, U.S. officials say five American soldiers have been killed by roadside-bomb explosions since late Friday. In Baghdad, Tuz, and at Rutbah, in far western Iraq.
Information for this report is provided by AP and AFP.
