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| Iraq-Jordan |
| Iraqi handover of power takes place 2 days early |
| 2004-06-28 |
| The United States has handed sovereignty to an interim Iraqi government two days earlier than expected, aiming to forestall guerrilla attacks with a surprise ceremony formally ending 14 months of occupation. Iraq’s outgoing U.S. governor Paul Bremer handed a letter to Iraq 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 furtive nature appeared to reflect fears that 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 stand together against foreign militants wreaking havoc in the country. "I call on our people to stand united to expel the foreign terrorists who are killing our children and destroying our country," Allawi said, in comments broadcast around the world. At the earlier ceremony, which formally transferred sovereignty, President Ghazi Yawar hailed "a historic day, a happy day, a day that all Iraqis have been looking forward to." U.S. and British officials say the handover is a key step on the path to democracy in Iraq, but one of the government’s first actions as a sovereign power is expected to be the imposition of emergency laws, including curfews, to crack down on guerrillas. U.S. officials attending a NATO summit in Istanbul admitted that thwarting a surge in attacks believed planned for the formal Wednesday handover date was a factor in the decision to advance it to Monday, which they said Allawi had requested. "We have said all along that we believed that the terrorists on the ground were going to do everything they can to literally and figuratively blow up the handover of sovereignty," one official said. Although Allawi’s government will have "full sovereignty", according to a U.N. Security Council resolution earlier this month, there are important constraints on its powers. It is barred from making long-term policy decisions and will not have control over more than 160,000 foreign troops who will remain in Iraq. The government has the right to ask them to leave, but has made clear it has no intention of doing so. Allawi said after the handover that he was committed to holding elections in January as scheduled. Last week he was quoted as saying insecurity might force the polls to be postponed until February or March. "The Iraqi government is determined to go ahead with elections on January 2 of next year," Allawi told reporters. As part of the handover, ousted leader Saddam Hussein will soon go before an Iraqi judge to be charged and transferred to Iraqi legal custody, but will still be physically held by U.S.-led forces, a military official said. Saddam fled when U.S. forces took Baghdad on April 9 last year, but was captured in December. "He will stand in front of an Iraqi judge and he will be handed his indictments," the coalition official said. Guerrillas have mounted bloody attacks this month aimed at disrupting the handover, and several foreign hostages have also been seized over the past week. On Sunday, the Arabic-language satellite channel Al Jazeera broadcast footage of a blindfolded U.S. Marine, whose captors said they would kill him unless Iraqi prisoners were released. "A Marine assigned to the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force has been absent from his unit since June 21," a U.S. statement said. "However, Naval Criminal Investigative Services cannot confirm that Corporal Wassef Ali Hassoun has been taken hostage." Militants have already seized three Turks and a Pakistani driver working as a contractor for U.S. forces this month. Fighters loyal to al Qaeda ally Abu Musab al-Zarqawi said on Saturday they were holding the Turks and would behead them within 72 hours unless Turks stopped working with U.S. forces. The threats have cast a shadow over Bush’s visit to Turkey for the NATO summit. Turkey and Pakistan are not part of the U.S.-led occupation force in Iraq but many of their nationals work for U.S. troops. Both countries have rejected the kidnappers’ demands. The uncle of Pakistani driver Amjad Hafeez appealed for his release. "He went there for work and not for fighting," Mohammad Razzaq Khan told Reuters from Rawalpindi. "Therefore, we appeal to the captors to release him." |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #15 I don't normally watch CNN, but last week while working out I could only see that TV, so I saw them reading the viewer emails. I also noticed that every single email they picked started from a left of center, "America (specifically Bush's America) is in the wrong" position. I'm really flabbergasted that anyone could watch this sort of thing and believe that their reporting is unbiased. |
| Posted by: Kathy L 2004-06-28 4:40:04 PM |
| #14 Saw CNN today for awhile. The quick handover caught the pretty faces by surprize and they had to report the news instead of opinionating it. Then they read letters from their viewers. The hatriots in the CNN staff picked only anti Bush email to read. |
| Posted by: mhw 2004-06-28 3:51:47 PM |
| #13 One Asshat's Opinion: Annan's top adviser on Iraq, Lakhdar Brahimi, said the "former occupying powers" and the new government must now demonstrate to the Iraqi people that the 150,000 foreign troops in the country are there to support the government in maintaining security — and that they will be leaving. "We are all keeping our fingers crossed," said Brahimi, who helped put together the new government. "We hope that this is going to be a true beginning and those who are opposing occupation will now consider that opposing occupation is not necessary anymore and that both sides — the government and these people — will try and find a common ground to build Iraq," he told reporters at U.N. headquarters. Link "helped put together the new government"? They're kidding, right? He got sidetracked and suckered. The new government was put together IN SPITE OF his brief from Kofi. Sheesh. Get a clue, AP... |
| Posted by: mojo 2004-06-28 2:36:07 PM |
| #12 President Bush, dumb as Dumb as Gomer Pile ain't he... Well President Gomer you owe the UN, IsalmoNazi's and DNC a big ole "SURPRISE SURPRISE SURPRISE!!!" www.georgewbush.com Go NOW and Give MONEY!! |
| Posted by: Long Hair Republican 2004-06-28 1:32:40 PM |
| #11 another Iraqi blogger http://iraqthemodel.blogspot.com/ says, "...sovereignty was handed-over to Iraqis, in a brilliant timing that interrupted the plans of the terrorists. I couldn’t find myself but going out, taking some pictures and asking people about their feelings and anticipations regarding this great day. Baghdad seemed quiet calm moreover this morning was even more peaceful than the last couple of days (at least till now). Streets are void of any sign reflecting that a great and important event for Iraq and the region has just took place. I’ve noticed that most people I met in the streets were delighted by this news and I saw a lot of optimism on their faces". |
| Posted by: mhw 2004-06-28 12:29:40 PM |
| #10 I'm guessing that the stars are FURIOUS that their moment to pontificate on everything that was going to go wrong has been taken from them, and we're going to see that in their reporting. Hence the "hurried and furtive" remark by al-Reuters... |
| Posted by: Pappy 2004-06-28 12:22:50 PM |
| #9 Sweet timing! Took away any initiative on the part of the whiners and boomers! |
| Posted by: Dar 2004-06-28 11:47:42 AM |
| #8 Not gonna help much tactically, but it was pretty damn mean spirted to leave Gunga Dan with no dance, and as such should be saluted! |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-06-28 11:02:18 AM |
| #7 yep - it was on MSNBC this AM (400AM on west coast) instead of Imus, and the two newsbabes they had on were unprepared |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-06-28 10:56:16 AM |
| #6 ...One of the other blogs - IIRC it was Roger Simon's - said that according to rumor, Rather, Brokow, and Co. were already in Baghdad waiting for the official handover. I'm guessing that the stars are FURIOUS that their moment to pontificate on everything that was going to go wrong has been taken from them, and we're going to see that in their reporting. Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2004-06-28 10:53:40 AM |
| #5 President Bush - You rascal! You got the Dems pissed. Two days of pontification cut short! |
| Posted by: BigEd 2004-06-28 10:46:40 AM |
| #4 The Americans are not playing fair. We were tipped to go to where the massive car bomb was supposed to go off. Now there is nothing to cover. We are going to complain to the UN! |
| Posted by: al-Jazzera 2004-06-28 10:45:10 AM |
| #3 First Iraqi blogger to comment is http://hammorabi.blogspot.com/ he says, "The handover is a surprise for the enemies of the free and democratic Iraq. The terrorist may have been planned a major attack on the 30 July 2004. The earlier handover may have been aborted such an action. Good luck for Iraq and the civilized people the friends of Iraq." God bless Iraq and America and their friends and allies. |
| Posted by: mhw 2004-06-28 9:47:47 AM |
| #2 Thanks mhw... I hadn't thought of it that way! HeHe ... might have to watch the news tonight, just to see how they spin this. |
| Posted by: Sherry 2004-06-28 9:45:09 AM |
| #1 People will say that the early handover was done to confound the Islamoterrorists and Baathoterrorists. Maybe, but it also has the effect of denying face time to the big egos at CNN/NBC/BBC/ALJaz, etc. who planned to go to the handover ceremony and diss it. |
| Posted by: mhw 2004-06-28 9:21:57 AM |