Shiites submit draft law to divide Iraq

Iraq's dominant Shiite political alliance submitted to parliament a draft law governing the division of the country into autonomous regions.

Iraq's dominant Shiite political alliance submitted to parliament on Wednesday a draft law governing the division of the country into autonomous regions, a lawmaker said.

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"The general committee of the United Iraqi Alliance finished drafting the law of regional formations and submitted it to the leadership of the parliament for review," said Shiite lawmaker Hamid Mualla al-Saadi.

The second day of parliament since the end of its month-long recess is expected to be dominated with the review of the controversial draft law which will govern the process of dividing the country into autonomous regions.

The three Kurdish provinces in the north are already autonomous and Shiite lawmakers have indicated they would like a similar federal status for the overwhelmingly Shiite southern provinces.

With Iraq's oil entirely concentrated in the northern and southern region's, the proposals worry the country's Sunni Arabs, largely found in the arid and resource-poor center of the country.

Kurdish and Shiite parties, however, make up two-thirds of the parliament.