By Rajiv Chandrasekaran, Douglas Struck
and Mike Allen Washington Post Foreign
Service Monday, June 28, 2004; 5:14 AM
BAGHDAD, June 28 -- The United States transferred political authority
to an interim Iraqi government in a high-security but low-key surprise ceremony
on Monday morning that was held inside the U.S.-controlled Green Zone two days
before the planned June 30 handover date because of fears of insurgent
attacks.
At the hastily arranged ceremony, U.S. administrator L. Paul Bremer
handed over a signed document in a blue portfolio conveying political authority
to the chief judge of Iraq's highest court.
The transfer of power occurred in the office of Iraq's interim prime
minister, Ayad Allawi, at 10:26 a.m. local time (2:26 a.m. EDT) before a handful
of Iraqi and U.S. officials and journalists. "You are ready now for sovereignty
and we think it's an important part of our obligation as temporary custodians to
hand it over," Bremer said.
"I have confidence that the Iraqi government is ready to meet the
challenges." Bremer also gave Allawi a letter from President Bush asking for
formal diplomatic ties with the interim government.
Bremer, who has served as a viceroy in the country, was scheduled to
leave Iraq later Monday.
Allawi, who was appointed by Bremer to govern the country until
national elections are held, called Monday "a historical day."
"We feel we are capable," he said. The interim president, Ghazi Yawar,
said the handover was "something all Iraqis have been looking forward
to."
A White House official, signaling the note President Bush will strike
when he speaks about the transfer later Monday at a NATO summit in Istanbul,
told wire service reporters that the transfer was a "proud day" for Iraq.
The handover ends direct U.S. control over Iraq's political affairs
that began after the U.S. military toppled former president Saddam Hussein's
government in April 2003. The occupation administration Bremer has headed for
the past 11 months, the Coalition Provisional Authority, will dissolve and will
be replaced by a U.S. embassy.
Although a U.N. Security Council resolution passed earlier this month
deems the interim government "fully sovereign," it will lack many of hallmarks
of a sovereign nation. More than 130,000 U.S. troops will remain in the country
to combat an increasingly violent insurgency. An temporary constitution also
restricts the interim government's power to basic civil administration and
preparations for national elections scheduled for January.
But Allawi has promised to use his new authority to take more
aggressive actions against the insurgents. He said he would announce new
security measures later on Monday. He and some of his cabinet ministers have
suggested that a state of emergency could be declared in violence-prone areas,
allowing local authorities to impose curfews and conduct house-to-house
searches.
Other than the handful of senior officials participating in the
handover ceremony, which was not broadcast live on television, Iraqis had no
knowledge of it as it was happening. As Bremer gave Allawi the document, Baghdad
residents went about business as usual. It was not until 30 minutes later that
the first news bulletins ricocheted across the capital.
The ceremony occurred in a plain room in Allawi's new office. Only six
people participated: Bremer, Allawi, Yawar, Chief Justice Mehdad Mahmoudi,
Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih and British envoy David Richmond.
Security was extremely tight. Snipers were stationed on nearby rooftops
and U.S. Army helicopters buzzed overhead. A senior U.S. official said the
ceremony was Bremer's last official act in Iraq. Bremer referred to himself as
the "ex-administrator of Iraq."
The handover, which had been scheduled to occur on June 30, was
accelerated after discussions between Bremer and Allawi over the weekend, the
official said. Both men were concerned that insurgent attacks timed to coincide
with the handover would mar the cer emony.
The event was so secretive that even members of Bremer's senior staff
did not know about it until two hours before it began, the official said.
Allen reported from Istanbul. Fred Barbash contributed to this story
from Washington.
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