Iraq authorizes non-US troops to stay next year

Iraq's fractious parliament on Tuesday gave last-minute authorization for non-U.S. foreign troops to stay for the first half of 2009 after the parliament speaker's resignation broke a deadlock that had threatened the key measure.

The U.N. mandate authorizing foreign troops expires Dec. 31, but the new measure will allow Britain's 4,000 soldiers and smaller contingents from several other countries to stay through and assist U.S. troops until the end of July. U.S. troops can remain until the end of 2011 under a separate security agreement reached this year.

Voting had been delayed by a power struggle between the Sunni parliament speaker and Shiite and Kurdish …