Iraqis compromise to allow British troops to stay

An Iraqi MP said today that parliament has reached a compromise to approve a resolution allowing all foreign troops other than Americans to stay in Iraq until July 2009.

The agreement reached today transforms last week’s rejected draft law into a parliamentary resolution, a move requiring only a simple majority in parliament

The move allows MPs to circumvent strong opposition to the bill by a small number of radical Shiite deputies.

Lawmaker Abbas al-Bayati of the Shiite United Iraqi Alliance says the resolution will be voted on Monday.

Not passing the resolution before a UN mandate expires on December 31 would leave those troops, including British soldiers, without a legal basis to be in Iraq.

Earlier the top US general in Iraq said American troops will move into southern Iraq early next year to replace departing British forces.

Britain says its 4,000 troops will withdraw from the southern port city Basra by the end of May.

Army General Ray Odierno, the overall commander of US and allied forces in Iraq, said late last night he is considering moving either a brigade or division headquarters – about 100 personnel – as well as an undetermined number of combat troops to Iraq’s second-largest city.