Iraq: Clinton, Maliki and the future of Shahrastaninote

US Secretary of States Hillary Clinton is said to have asked Iraqi PM Nouri Al-Maliki to remove Hussein Al-Shahrastani from his position as Oil Minister and give him another position. The following 334-word report focuses on the issue and tells what the Al-Shahrastani’s reaction is. It also tells how the relation is now between Al-Maliki and Al-Shahrastani and whether Clinton’s demand has affected it or not. Note that Al-Shahrastani is very close to leading Shiite cleric Ayatollah Ali Sistani.