Date:12/06/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/06/12/stories/2007061206151400.htm

International

Iraqi Speaker sacked

BAGHDAD: The Iraqi Parliament on Monday ousted its Speaker Mahmud Mashhadani, who is Sunni, after he allegedly ordered his bodyguards to beat up a Shia MP, the Assembly's Deputy Speaker said. Of the 168 MPs who attended the session, 113 voted to replace Mr. Mashhadani, Mr. Khalid al-Attiya said. ``Following a number of notices from lawmakers about his conduct, inefficient administration of Assembly sessions and finally the attack by his guards, the Assembly decided to oust him,'' Mr. Attiya said. Meanwhile, Britain's next Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, arrived in Iraq on Monday for what he called a fact-finding trip as he weighs Britain's future involvement in a four-year-old war that is hugely unpopular among Britons. It is his first visit since being confirmed as the successor to Tony Blair, whose popularity at home waned over his steadfast support for the U.S.-led war, Mr. Brown said he wanted to ``listen and learn'' before taking office on June 27. — Agencies