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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Iraq parliament approves new flag | Iraq parliament approves new flag |
| (1 day later) | |
| Iraq's parliament has voted to change the country's flag. | Iraq's parliament has voted to change the country's flag. |
| The three stars that represented Saddam Hussein's Baath Party will be removed, to address the concerns of Iraqi Kurds. | The three stars that represented Saddam Hussein's Baath Party will be removed, to address the concerns of Iraqi Kurds. |
| They have refused to fly the flag since the fall of Saddam Hussein, saying it is too closely associated with a regime that repressed and killed their people. | They have refused to fly the flag since the fall of Saddam Hussein, saying it is too closely associated with a regime that repressed and killed their people. |
| The flag was also changed in 2004, when a line of script, allegedly in Saddam Hussein's own handwriting, was changed to Kufic script. | The flag was also changed in 2004, when a line of script, allegedly in Saddam Hussein's own handwriting, was changed to Kufic script. |
| But the latest change - passed by 110 votes to 50 - is only temporary, as a design for a new flag will be sought after one year. | But the latest change - passed by 110 votes to 50 - is only temporary, as a design for a new flag will be sought after one year. |
| Agreement over the flag is another sign that the Iraqi parliament is moving forward on difficult issues, says the BBC's Jonny Dymond in Baghdad. | Agreement over the flag is another sign that the Iraqi parliament is moving forward on difficult issues, says the BBC's Jonny Dymond in Baghdad. |
| A measure that should allow former Baath party members to rejoin the bureaucracy and military was passed 10 days ago. | A measure that should allow former Baath party members to rejoin the bureaucracy and military was passed 10 days ago. |
| However, big obstacles to unity remain. The Iraqi parliament said on Tuesday that attempts to pass the 2008 budget had stalled, leading to fears that infrastructure projects would be delayed. | However, big obstacles to unity remain. The Iraqi parliament said on Tuesday that attempts to pass the 2008 budget had stalled, leading to fears that infrastructure projects would be delayed. |
| Changing times | Changing times |
| The new flag retains the three colours of the old one - red, white and black. | The new flag retains the three colours of the old one - red, white and black. |
| A 2004 proposal was unpopular with Iraqis and subsequently droppedBut the stars that represented the ideology of the Baath party - unity, freedom and socialism - will be removed. | |
| The Arabic inscription "Allahu Akbar" ("God is great") in green will be retained. As with the 2004-2008 version, it is written in Kufic script, making clear it is no longer in Saddam Hussein's handwriting. | The Arabic inscription "Allahu Akbar" ("God is great") in green will be retained. As with the 2004-2008 version, it is written in Kufic script, making clear it is no longer in Saddam Hussein's handwriting. |
| Kufic is an ancient form of Arabic script that originated in what is now Iraq. | Kufic is an ancient form of Arabic script that originated in what is now Iraq. |
| "The new flag has no signs of Saddam's regime and is a sign that change has been achieved in the country," said Humam Hamoudi, a prominent Shia politician and member of the powerful Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council party. | "The new flag has no signs of Saddam's regime and is a sign that change has been achieved in the country," said Humam Hamoudi, a prominent Shia politician and member of the powerful Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council party. |
| In 2004, Iraq's then US-appointed governing council tried to introduce an entirely new blue-white-and-yellow, flag, but it was withdrawn after protests including the objection that it too closely resembled the flag of Israel. |