Iraqi Council Seeks to Revive Interim Constitution

By Ivan Watson,

Published March 6, 2004 at 12:00 AM EST

Efforts are under way in Baghdad to revive the interim constitution that was supposed to be signed by Iraqi factions yesterday. At the last moment, five Shia Muslim leaders refused to endorse the document, to the embarrassment of U.S. administrators. A new meeting is set for Monday. Hear NPR's John Ydstie and NPR's Ivan Watson.

Ivan Watson

Ivan Watson is currently based in Istanbul, Turkey. Following the 9-11 terrorist attacks, he has served as one of NPR's foreign "firemen," shuttling to and from hotspots around the Middle East and Central Asia.

John Ydstie

John Ydstie has covered the economy, Wall Street, and the Federal Reserve at NPR for nearly three decades. Over the years, NPR has also employed Ydstie's reporting skills to cover major stories like the aftermath of Sept. 11, Hurricane Katrina, the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal, and the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. He was a lead reporter in NPR's coverage of the global financial crisis and the Great Recession, as well as the network's coverage of President Trump's economic policies. Ydstie has also been a guest host on the NPR news programs Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Weekend Edition. Ydstie stepped back from full-time reporting in late 2018, but plans to continue to contribute to NPR through part-time assignments and work on special projects.

See stories by John Ydstie