Iraq's fractious parliament squeezed its abrasive speaker out of a job and authorized non-US troops to stay for another half-year on Tuesday, in a pair of high-stakes moves in its final session of the year. Under heavy pressure from Shiite and Kurdish lawmaker, Sunni speaker Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani resigned on the losing end of a long-running power struggle. Lawmakers applauded his announcement, quickly approved it. then passed a measure allowing Britain's 4,000 troops and several smaller contingents from other countries to stay through July. “I do believe that I was faithfully doing good work,” he said in his address to the chamber where he often offended other lawmakers. “If I caused hurt to you, I ask your forgiveness.” Al-Mashhadani has clashed repeatedly with Kurdish and Shiite lawmakers in recent years. The enmity reached its peak last week in a shouting match over the detention of the journalist who threw his shoes at President George W. Bush. Within a half-hour of his resignation, parliament approved the troops measure in a voice vote – just a week before the UN mandate authorizing foreign troops was to expire. The new measure will allow non-US troops to stay through and assist US troops until the end of July. The Americans can remain until the end of 2011 under a separate security agreement.
