Iraq�s parliament overwhelmingly approved a provincial elections law yesterday, overcoming months of deadlock and giving a boost to US-backed national reconciliation efforts.

Iraq's parliament overwhelmingly approved a provincial elections law yesterday, overcoming months of deadlock and giving a boost to US-backed national reconciliation efforts.

But gunmen, who apparently had been tipped off about a raid, ambushed a group of Iraqi national policemen and Sunni fighters who have joined forces with the United States in the insurgent stronghold of Othmaniyah north-east of Baghdad, killing 22, the US military said.

US officials have complained privately that Iraqi politicians have failed to take advantage of the sharp drop in violence - down 80% since last year, according to the US military - to forge lasting power-sharing agreements.

The legislation had been bogged down in a complex dispute between Arabs and Kurds over power-sharing in the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, which Kurds are seeking to incorporate into their semi-autonomous region.

Lawmakers acknowledged the delay in passing the measure would make it difficult for the electoral commission to organise the vote and pushed back the deadline for it to be held until January 31, 2009.

The measure still needs to be approved by the three-member presidential panel led by President Jalal Talabani, himself a Kurd who vetoed the last attempt by parliament to push through a measure despite a Kurdish walkout. But Kurdish legislators agreed to the latest proposal, suggesting presidential approval was more likely.

Agreement was reached after Shi'ite, Sunni, Kurdish and Turkomen lawmakers adopted a UN compromise to form a parliamentary committee to review disputes regarding Kirkuk separately so the elections could go ahead elsewhere.

"We think this is a positive sign, and it certainly shows a maturing Iraqi democracy," said US spokesman Robert Wood. "And we hope there will be provincial elections as soon as possible, certainly before the end of the year."

In yesterday's ambush, the gunmen opened fire as soon as the Iraqi forces arrived, suggesting a tip-off.