Iraqi leaders of parliament blocs decided on Sunday to delay the debate on federalism until they approve a new draft for the controversial issue.

"Leaders of the parliament blocs met early in the morning and agreed on delaying the debate until the two juristic and regions committees prepare a new draft," parliament speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani told reporters.

On Thursday's parliament session, an acrimonious debate occurred between the Sunni Arab Iraqi Consensus Front and the Shiite United Iraqi Alliance over enrolling the federalism draft on the parliament agenda.

The Sunni lawmakers said they haven't read the draft, which was submitted by the parliament juristic committee before it distributes the draft to the lawmakers.

A secular Sunni lawmaker Salih al-Mutlak threatened that he and his colleagues would withdraw from the parliament, which would lead to the division of Iraq, adding he would boycott the session that sought to approve federalism.

(Xinhua News Agency September 11, 2006)