Shoe-thrower is brave: Iraqi ex-speaker

Source: AP, 25-12-2008

The newly resigned Iraqi parliament speaker has praised the journalist who threw shoes at US President George W. Bush and says the legislature should have supported him.
Mahmoud al-Mashhadani's comments on Wednesday came a day after he resigned under heavy pressure from Shiaa and Kurdish lawmakers.

"He was a zealous, brave journalist and even his enemy Bush said he is brave - only the parliament did not say that he is brave," said al-Mashhadani, who is Sunni.
"This is a clear fault, it shouldn't be like that."

The abrasive speaker had frequently quarrelled with lawmakers, but tensions came to a head last week during a shouting match over the detention of journalist Montazer al-Zaidi.
The speaker's many opponents used the incident as a pretext to force him out.
Zaidi is to go on trial on December 31 on charges of assaulting a foreign leader. A conviction could bring a prison sentence of up to two years.

Zaidi has been in custody since the December 14 outburst at a news conference of Bush and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
The case's investigating judge said Zaidi was struck about the face and eyes, apparently by security agents who wrestled him to the ground, but his relatives allege he was beaten more severely and tortured in detention.
One of Zaidi's brothers, Uday, said a letter to al-Maliki from the journalist in which he reportedly apologises and asks for a pardon was written under duress.

The prime minister has said that the letter says Zaidi was provoked to throw the shoes by an insurgent whom Maliki said was a known "throat-slitter."
The case has become a focus for Iraqis and others who resent the US invasion and occupation. Thousands of Iraqis have demonstrated for Zaidi's release, but the judge has said he does not have the legal option to drop the case.

As pressure grew for al-Mashhadani to step down as speaker, he tried the power play of delaying until January 7 a vote on a resolution to allow non-US troops to remain in the country for the first half of 2009.
The UN mandate authorising foreign troops expires on December 31 and without the resolution there would have been no legal grounds for them to remain.
But minutes after parliament approved al-Mashhadani's ouster, it passed the resolution.
American troops can remain until the end of 2011 under a separate security agreement.