ARBIL, Iraq, Aug 6 (AFP) - 14h03 - The president of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, Massud Barzani, said Saturday that the Kurds would not accept an Islamic identity for Iraq when the war-torn country's new constitution is finalised.
Addressing the regional parliament, Barzani said that the Kurds would not compromise on their demands, including a federal Iraq and the incorpation of the northern oil centre of Kirkuk in their autonomous region.

"We will not accept that Iraq's identity is Islamic...let Arab Iraq be part of the Arab nation -- we are not," Barzani told an emergency session of the legislature called to discuss some of the thorny issues dogging the constitutional negotiations.

Barzani is to take part in a national conference of top Iraqi leaders on Sunday to iron out the remaining stumbling blocks.

"This is a golden chance for Kurds and Kurdistan -- if we don't do what is important for Kurdistan, there will be no second chance," he said, adding "we will not make our final decision in Baghdad, the Kurdish parliament will decide."

Barzani said he would also insist that the militias of the two Kurdish former rebel factions be retained and that Kirkuk be incorporated as the new capital of autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan.