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| Iraq |
| Iraq Parliament Allows British Troops to Stay |
| 2008-12-24 |
| Iraq's parliament signed off Tuesday night on a security agreement that would allow thousands of British troops and a few hundred soldiers from a handful of other countries to stay in Iraq until next summer. The approval, which was delayed by recent fights in parliament, paves the way for the Iraqi government to sign a security agreement with Britain that also covers small contingents from Australia, El Salvador, Estonia and Romania. Those troops will be authorized to stay in Iraq until July 2009, and their departure will mark the end of the so-called "coalition of the willing." In an unrelated development shortly after the security agreement was reached, the speaker of Iraq's parliament, Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, announced his resignation, bowing to Shiite and Kurdish lawmakers who have called for his ouster. In announcing his resignation, Mashhadani acknowledged that he often lost his temper and said his frazzled state of mind is the product of having spent years in prison before the war began. "If I harmed you, I want you to know that I love you and I hope you forgive me," the gray-haired speaker told his colleagues. Mashhadani, a deeply religious Sunni Muslim Arab who belongs to Ahal al-Iraq, a small party within the Sunni bloc in parliament, has alienated and enraged colleagues -- including fellow Sunnis -- since he became speaker in April 2006. His long-winded speeches often delayed passage of key legislation. The security agreement with the British government, which dovetails with one signed last month with the United States, was not particularly controversial. But lawmakers did not address it until Tuesday because they had been preoccupied with concerns about Mashhadani. The non-American foreign troops that remain in Iraq work mostly in training and advisory capacities. British troops were responsible for the security of a large portion of southern Iraq, including Basra, the country's second-largest city, until a few months ago. The U.S. military has begun to deploy more troops there in recent months to fill the void left by the departure of British combat troops. American troops are expected to leave Iraq by the end of 2011. |
| Posted by:Fred |