Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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January 22, 2008

Iraqi Parliament Fails to Pass 2008 Budget, Adopts New Flag
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1B01232:A6F02AD83191E160F3D2D0C2C2F74E565C6F54A6CF9DC2CA& $48-billion budget
deal fell apart late Monday after dispute between Shi'ite, Sunni Arab
and Kurdish lawmakers over how some of money would be spent A dispute
between Iraqi lawmakers has stalled what was expected to be easy
passage of Iraq's 2008 budget.

The $48-billion budget deal fell apart late Monday after a dispute
between Shi'ite, Sunni Arab and Kurdish lawmakers over how some of the
money would be spent.

Lawmakers bitterly disagreed over the plan to allot 17 percent of the
budget to the oil-rich and largely autonomous northern region of
Kurdistan.

Iraq's parliament did vote Tuesday to adopt a temporary, new flag - no
longer displaying what has been described as Saddam Hussein's
handwritten phrase, "Allahu Akbar."  Instead, the words will be
printed.

The new flag will also omit the distinctive three stars.  However, it
will keep its standard red, white and black stripes.

Iraqis argued the old flag was a reminder of Saddam's brutal reign
over Iraq.

Separately, there was more violence in Iraq Tuesday.

A suicide bomber blew himself up at a school entrance in the city of
Baquba, wounding 21 people, most of them students and teachers.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.




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