Rebels and Reporters caught off Guard in Soveriegnty hand over...

[insein]

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=sto...0628/wl_nm/iraq_handover_scene_dc_2&printer=1

Early Iraq Handover Surprises Rebels and Reporters

1 hour, 7 minutes ago Add World - Reuters to My Yahoo!


By Alistair Lyon

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Dogs sniffed for explosives, mobile phones were impounded and U.S. officials bombarded reporters with contradictory orders and scant information just moments before Iraq (news - web sites) formally regained sovereign powers.


Journalists had been hastily summoned for what was billed as U.S. administrator Paul Bremer's last news conference before a handover not due until Wednesday, but the confusion and tight security suggested that something extraordinary was afoot.


Two days early, Bremer was to dissolve the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), end more than 14 months of U.S.-British occupation and turn over control to an Iraqi interim government led by Prime Minister Iyad Allawi.


An explosion echoed over Baghdad about 90 minutes before the ceremony in the heavily fortified Green Zone compound, which contains CPA headquarters and some Iraqi government offices.


There in a small room sat Allawi, Interim President Ghazi al-Yawar, Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih and Iraq's top judge, Medhat al-Mahmoud, sipping tea or coffee with Bremer and his deputy, British special representative David Richmond.


On a table between Bremer and Allawi, both in dark suits, stood the Iraqi flag, inscribed 'Allahu Akbar' (God is Greatest) in Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s handwriting, along with a vase of flowers.


"This is a historic day, a happy day, a day that all Iraqis have been looking forward to," said Yawar, wearing traditional Arab robes, in the first of several brief speeches.


Allawi said his government now felt "in control of the situation, in control of the security situation."


"EX-ADMINISTRATOR"


Bremer, apologizing for his lack of Arabic, read a short letter noting the demise of the coalition authority he headed for 13 months, the end of occupation and the assumption of "full sovereign authority" by Allawi's government.


"We welcome Iraq's steps to take its rightful place with sovereignty and honor among the free nations of the world. Sincerely, L. Paul Bremer, ex-administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority," he concluded, to laughter and applause.


Smiling officials rose to their feet as Bremer handed the letter to Mahmoud, the judge, who then handed it to Yawar.


U.S. media officials had dropped some obscurely worded hints that the transfer of power might take place before June 30 -- "Game day will be in the next few," said one email Sunday.


But the timing was known only to half a dozen senior coalition officials the night before, a senior official said.


Bremer said Allawi had asked for the transfer of power to be brought forward because Iraqis were ready to take control. But surprising anti-U.S. insurgents who have staged a bloody campaign of bombings, assassinations and other attacks before the handover was also a motive in the change of plan.


"It was a consideration," said a senior military official. "It has a beneficial effect that we will take advantage of and the Iraqi security forces will take advantage of."


Another official in the U.S.-led coalition said Allawi's request to accelerate the handover was security-related.


"He made it clear to Ambassador Bremer that he was considering his overall security strategy when he proposed that sovereignty be handed over as soon as possible," he said.

Shortly after the ceremony ended, Bremer headed for the airport and left Iraq in a C-130 transport plane.

There was no word on his immediate destination but one official said Bremer would eventually go to Washington to rejoin his family and then go on holiday at their home in Vermont.

 

[NightTrain]

That was a stroke of genius. Moving the date up unexpectedly like that was brilliant.

Now all the festivities the terrorists had planned are moot.

 

[Annie]

Originally posted by NightTrain
That was a stroke of genius. Moving the date up unexpectedly like that was brilliant.

Now all the festivities the terrorists had planned are moot.

Not quite moot, they killed one of the hostages, but certainly going to make it harder to be them.

 

[insein]

Anything they do now, will not be against the US led coalition. It will be against the Sovereign nation of Iraq and its people.

 

[HGROKIT]

Originally posted by insein
Anything they do now, will not be against the US led coalition. It will be against the Sovereign nation of Iraq and its people.

precisely!

it will also be against the sovereign nation of the USofA if the kidnap and or otherwiase molest any more of our citizens.

 

[Palestinian Jew]

This was perhaps the smartest move I've seen the Bush Admin take in Iraq. I was beginning to wonder if something like this was going to happen to throw off the terrorists.

 

[insein]

Originally posted by Palestinian Jew
This was perhaps the smartest move I've seen the Bush Admin take in Iraq. I was beginning to wonder if something like this was going to happen to throw off the terrorists.

Definitely a good move. Another good one was selecting Allawi. He definitely is not a puppet. He probably will get elected when the time comes next year as the full time leader of IRaq. He is very strong and has a good vision for his country. 70% approval of him being leader from the Iraqi people is a good endorsement. I wish the best for him in these troubling times.

 

[HGROKIT]

Originally posted by insein
Definitely a good move. Another good one was selecting Allawi. He definitely is not a puppet. He probably will get elected when the time comes next year as the full time leader of IRaq. He is very strong and has a good vision for his country. 70% approval of him being leader from the Iraqi people is a good endorsement. I wish the best for him in these troubling times.

Not the 100% endorsement Saddam had, but close enough

 

[NightTrain]

Not the 100% endorsement Saddam had, but close enough

Yeah, that was pretty funny. 100% of the population voted for Ole Uncle Saddam!

What was really humorous is that he would even try to proclaim a 100% victory in his little election. What it did was show the world how corrupt he was & what kind of iron grip he had. I remember reading reports about how the 'Election Officials' (with machine guns) would check everyone's ballot prior to being deposited in the box.

And not ONE hanging chad!

 

[Avatar4321]

Originally posted by NightTrain
Yeah, that was pretty funny. 100% of the population voted for Ole Uncle Saddam!

What was really humorous is that he would even try to proclaim a 100% victory in his little election. What it did was show the world how corrupt he was & what kind of iron grip he had. I remember reading reports about how the 'Election Officials' (with machine guns) would check everyone's ballot prior to being deposited in the box.

And not ONE hanging chad!

Well dont you realize, they loved him? so much that they were dancing in the streets when they ripped his face off everything in town.