Iraqi parliament approves US security pact

Iraq's parliament yesterday approved by a wide margin a security pact with the United States that lets American troops stay in Iraq for three more years.

The vote in favor of the pact was backed by the ruling coalition's Shi'ite and Kurdish blocs as well as the largest Sunni Arab bloc, which had demanded concessions for supporting the deal.

Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki appeared to have won the comfortable majority that he sought in order to give the agreement additional legitimacy.