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Iraqi Parliament delays vote on foreign troops

(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-12-22 21:25

BAGHDAD -- Iraq's parliament speaker has delayed a session to approve a resolution allowing British and other non-American troops to remain in Iraq until July 2009.

British troops patrol the streets of central Basra. Iraq's parliament speaker has delayed a session to approve a resolution allowing British and other non-American troops to remain in Iraq until July 2009. [Agencies]

Related readings:  Iraq lawmakers reject law on British troops  S Korea completes troop pullout from Iraq  Australia to pull troops from Iraq by next July  Bush: Iraq war is not over, more work ahead

Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani called for the delay on Monday, after a group of lawmakers demanded his resignation on an unrelated issue. The lawmakers said they were boycotting Monday's session until their demands were met.

Al-Mashhadani threatened to resign last week, after he failed to bring under control a shouting match among legislators over an Iraq journalist who threw his shoes at President George W. Bush.

It remains unclear when Parliament will resume. If the resolution is not passed before a U.N. mandate expires on December 31, those troops would have no legal ground to remain.