Iraqi government gets under way

Iraq seated a government yesterday after nine months of haggling, bringing together the main ethnic and religious groups in a fragile balance, dominated by the Shia.

One of its first priorities will be to decide whether to ask the Obama Administration to keep thousands of United States soldiers in Iraq after their scheduled departure in December 2011.

Nouri al-Maliki remains the Prime Minister and the president and foreign minister will also stay the same.