Iraqi Vice Premier keeps his job

Bending under strong parliamentary pressure, Iraq’s PM Nouri al-Maliki has decided to keep his Sunni Deputy Saleh al-Mutlaq, local media report from Baghdad.

Al-Mutlaq has recently been unable to exercise his duties over policy differences with the Prime Minister who last year accused him of “administrative violations”. Al-Mutlak lashed back calling boss a “dictator”.

Nouri al-Maliki had earlier launched a campaign against Vice President Tareq al-Hashimi, a Sunni, forcing him to flee the country.

TASS