Iraqi lawmakers delay troop pact vote

BAGHDAD, Dec. 22 (UPI) -- A vote on a resolution to legalize the continued presence of non-U.S. foreign troops in Iraq was delayed Monday, observers said.

The country's Parliament had been expected to vote on a draft resolution that would govern the mission of foreign troops in the country since 2003, including British troops who are expected to withdraw during the next several months, al-Sumaria reported.

But the vote was postponed when some MPs, angry at Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament Mahmoud Mashhadani, demanded his resignation over perceived insults and boycotted Monday's session, The Times of London reported.

The rebel MPs, mostly Shiite and Kurdish lawmakers, say Mashhadani insulted them during an argument that broke out in Parliament regarding an incident in which an Iraqi journalist threw his shoes at U.S. President George Bush, the newspaper said.

It was unclear when Parliament would resume, further complicating the foreign troop vote.

Lawmakers rejected the measure last week but reached agreement on terms since, al-Sumaria reported. They approved a status of forces agreement for U.S. troops earlier in December. That agreement goes into effect Jan. 1, after a U.N. resolution authorizing international military intervention in Iraq expires Dec. 31.