Sunni Muslim Arabs will be given up to 25 seats on the committee drafting Iraq's new constitution, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani claimed yesterday.

The announcement, made during a visit to Baghdad by British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, would mark a success for Sunni Arabs, who threatened to pull out of the political process if they were not given a bigger say on the committee.

However, a Sunni legislator on the committee said that although an agreement had been reached on Sunni Arabs joining an expanded and parallel committee, no deal had been struck on their number.

Adnan Al Janabi, one of two Sunni Arabs on the committee, said that Sunni groups have agreed to join the 55 legislators in an expanded body whose decisions would be taken by consensus.

17 Bodies Found in Western Iraq

The bodies of at least 17 people who were probably executed, have been discovered in western Iraq, news agencies reported on Friday.

Iraqi Police said that 22 Iraqi soldiers were kidnapped after leaving their base in the town of Qaim near the Syrian border. It is not clear yet if the victims were those soldiers.

Al-Zarqawi’s group in Iraq announced on Thursday it was holding 36 Iraqi soldiers hostage and demanded from the government to free all women prisoners within 24 hours, according to a Web statement.

PHOTO CAPTION

Iraqi Sunnis worship during Friday prayers at Um al-Qura Mosque in Baghdad May 27, 2005. (Reuters)