It’s all yours: US hands over to interim Iraqi government

BAGHDAD – The United States handed sovereignty to an interim Iraqi government two days earlier than expected yesterday, aiming to forestall guerrilla attacks with a secretive ceremony formally ending 14 months of occupation.

Outgoing US Governor Paul Bremer handed a letter to Iraqi leaders sealing the formal transfer of powers before immediately flying out of the country. The low-key ceremony was over before it was announced and came as a surprise to ordinary Iraqis.Its hurried and secret nature appeared to reflect fears guerrillas could stage a spectacular attack on the scheduled date of June 30.At a second ceremony in the afternoon – this time broadcast live on Iraqi television – the government was sworn in and Prime Minister Iyad Allawi urged all Iraqis to unite against foreign militants wreaking havoc in the country.When the formal transfer was televised, some Iraqis on a bustling downtown street dismissed it as a cosmetic change in a country destabilised by occupation.But others said the handover was a step in the right direction, and called on Allawi to take stern measures to restore stability.At a grimy transport firm, long-haul drivers predicted more trouble on Iraq’s roads, where they have seen everything from suicide bombings to carjackings in the last 14 months.”How can sovereignty mean anything when American soldiers are going to stay in Iraq? If they leave it will be stable,” said Ali Ibrahim.Although Iraqis were happy to see their interim government take over after the occupation that ended 24 years of Saddam Hussein’s rule, some questioned the extent of their sovereignty.”We will have an American embassy here with thousands of employees, the biggest embassy in the world.The Americans will keep interfering,” said a transport company manager, Bashar.”Sovereignty means full sovereignty – no American troops.”Violence has become so pervasive that many want to see stern measures to restore security.Allawi says the government plans to introduce emergency laws, including curfews.The US military still retains sweeping powers in Iraq, basing its authority on a UN Security Council resolution and a last-minute decree issued by Bremer.After multiple stops and starts, the two sides failed to reach a formal agreement on the presence of tens of thousands of US troops and security contractors in Iraq ahead of the June 30 cut-off date for the handover of sovereignty.Instead, the US-led coalition and a caretaker Iraqi government, which governs till January, are relying on a patchwork of UN resolutions and an 11th-hour order fired off by Bremer to shore up the legal boundaries of US troops in Iraq.The coalition forces’ presence in Iraq is now sanctioned by the new UN resolution and an extension of the Coalition Provisional Authority’s (CPA) Order 17 that grants troops immunity from prosecution in Iraqi courts, the official said.Over the course of the 14-month occupation, diplomats and contractors received immunity from Iraqi courts through CPA Order 17, issued in May.Bremer extended a revised version of the order late Sunday, in one of his last decrees before leaving Iraq.The move is controversial and could be a bone of contention for Iraqis.The new government spokesman Gurgis Sada warned last week the country was opposed to granting immunity to contractors.While many contractors are engineers and relief workers, others are mercenaries hired to provide protection on reconstruction projects and serve as bodyguards.The presence of security contractors has rubbed a raw nerve with Iraqis, already sensitive to the foreign troops present in their country.In Istanbul, US President George W Bush quietly took note of the secret handover by checking his watch at a Nato summit and shaking hands with his closest war ally, British Prime Minister Tony Blair.The two exchanged knowing smiles and shook hands as they sat around a table listening to speeches.Bush, faces a tough re-election battle this year amid growing discontent over US involvement in Iraq.- Nampa-Reuters-AFPThe low-key ceremony was over before it was announced and came as a surprise to ordinary Iraqis.Its hurried and secret nature appeared to reflect fears guerrillas could stage a spectacular attack on the scheduled date of June 30.At a second ceremony in the afternoon – this time broadcast live on Iraqi television – the government was sworn in and Prime Minister Iyad Allawi urged all Iraqis to unite against foreign militants wreaking havoc in the country.When the formal transfer was televised, some Iraqis on a bustling downtown street dismissed it as a cosmetic change in a country destabilised by occupation.But others said the handover was a step in the right direction, and called on Allawi to take stern measures to restore stability.At a grimy transport firm, long-haul drivers predicted more trouble on Iraq’s roads, where they have seen everything from suicide bombings to carjackings in the last 14 months.”How can sovereignty mean anything when American soldiers are going to stay in Iraq? If they leave it will be stable,” said Ali Ibrahim.Although Iraqis were happy to see their interim government take over after the occupation that ended 24 years of Saddam Hussein’s rule, some questioned the extent of their sovereignty.”We will have an American embassy here with thousands of employees, the biggest embassy in the world.The Americans will keep interfering,” said a transport company manager, Bashar.”Sovereignty means full sovereignty – no American troops.”Violence has become so pervasive that many want to see stern measures to restore security.Allawi says the government plans to introduce emergency laws, including curfews.The US military still retains sweeping powers in Iraq, basing its authority on a UN Security Council resolution and a last-minute decree issued by Bremer.After multiple stops and starts, the two sides failed to reach a formal agreement on the presence of tens of thousands of US troops and security contractors in Iraq ahead of the June 30 cut-off date for the handover of sovereignty.Instead, the US-led coalition and a caretaker Iraqi government, which governs till January, are relying on a patchwork of UN resolutions and an 11th-hour order fired off by Bremer to shore up the legal boundaries of US troops in Iraq.The coalition forces’ presence in Iraq is now sanctioned by the new UN resolution and an extension of the Coalition Provisional Authority’s (CPA) Order 17 that grants troops immunity from prosecution in Iraqi courts, the official said.Over the course of the 14-month occupation, diplomats and contractors received immunity from Iraqi courts through CPA Order 17, issued in May.Bremer extended a revised version of the order late Sunday, in one of his last decrees before leaving Iraq.The move is controversial and could be a bone of contention for Iraqis.The new government spokesman Gurgis Sada warned last week the country was opposed to granting immunity to contractors.While many contractors are engineers and relief workers, others are mercenaries hired to provide protection on reconstruction projects and serve as bodyguards.The presence of security contractors has rubbed a raw nerve with Iraqis, already sensitive to the foreign troops present in their country.In Istanbul, US President George W Bush quietly took note of the secret handover by checking his watch at a Nato summit and shaking hands with his closest war ally, British Prime Minister Tony Blair.The two exchanged knowing smiles and shook hands as they sat around a table listening to speeches.Bush, faces a tough re-election battle this year amid growing discontent over US involvement in Iraq.- Nampa-Reuters-AFP