Iraqis have agreed an interim constitution after weeks of wrangling. Richard Beeston, Diplomatic Editor, left, in Baghdad says there is still much to do before a final constitution is agreed.

How significant is this document?

It is fairly significant. The Iraqi Governing Council and the Americans who helped to draw it up said the final negotiations were a long, drawn-out affair and that compromises and heated argument took place.

So it was with some sense of achievement that at 4am they finally overcame the remaining serious hurdles.

But it is only a temporary constitution, a guideline until elections can be held, a parliament is in place and a future government can decide what the constitution of Iraq is going to be.

Having said that, people are quite excited about it, and not just the Americans who helped bring it about, but the members of the Governing Council involved in the discussions.

What role will Islamic law play?

There are people in Iraq who would like to see this country adopt Sharia and become an Islamic state.

There are also many secularists who want Iraq to remain secular. A compromise has been agreed in this interim constitution.

What it means in practice is that, on certain issues, Islamic law will apply. It could mean that polygamy will be allowed and that Islamic divorce laws will be put in place.

It seems clear that Islamic clerics will continue to have a big say in how people go about their lives here.

What about Kurdish autonomy?

The interim constitution maintains the status quo, which was there when the war started.

The three Kurdish provinces of northern Iraq still enjoy the autonomous status that they had before, but the peshmerga, the autonomous Kurdish fighting force, will have to integrate into the national security force when it happens.

The Kurds feel that they have lost out in the oil rich city of Kirkuk. This document ring-fences Kirkuk, which will not be incorporated into any of the neighbouring Kurdish provinces.

In the longer term, the Kurds are likely to have to relinquish some of their autonomous powers as the Iraqi state re-imposes itself across the whole country.

Will this constitution secure the long-term future of Iraq?

This interim constitution does not address what kind of government takes over on July 1, when the Americans hand over power to an Iraqi government. That is the big hurdle.

The document says that there should be elections between the end of this year and the start of next year. That is going to be a potentially traumatic and violent hurdle to cross.

Once an elected government is in place, a new permanent constitution will be drafted so we are going to have to go back over the areas we had today.

Big obstacles remain before a permanent constitution can be agreed, given the slightly stumbling nature of America's attempts to create a legitimate government here.

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