Iraq Power Handover 'Today'

[MetalBoy]

Sky News is reporting:

The handover of power in Iraq is being brought forward to today.


A formal announcement will be made later today, Tony Blair said.

The informal announcement was made by Iraq's foreign minister Hoshyar Zebari.

The handover of power to an interim Iraqi government was supposed to take place on June 30.

Mr Zebari said the deteriorating security situation in the country was one of the reasons why the date had been brought forward.

"We will challenge these elements in Iraq, the anti-democratic elements, by even bringing the handover of sovereignty before June 30 as a sign we are ready for it," he said.


He added: "We have made some very good progress in terms of the new security council (in Iraq) and the return of sovereignty to the Iraqi people to take away the level of occupation we have suffered a great deal from.

"There are many Iraqis who are standing up to the challenge. We are here to seek more help and assistance, training and equipment."

Insurgents have mounted a series of bloody attacks this month aimed at disrupting the handover, and several foreign hostages have also been seized over the past week.

The interim government will be led by Prime Minister Iyad Allawi will have "full sovereignty", according to a UN Security Council resolution on the handover earlier this month.

But 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.

The sooner the better.

[Royal]

BBC too

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3845517.stm


Iraqi handover 'brought forward'

The handover of sovereignty to Iraq is being brought forward from 30 June to Monday, Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari has said.
He was speaking after talks with UK Prime Minister Tony Blair in Istanbul.

Reports from the Iraqi capital suggest sovereignty has already been handed over at a ceremony there.

The BBC's political editor Andrew Marr in Istanbul says the surprise move, which emerged at the start of a Nato summit, is an important symbolic step.

Mr Zebari told journalists that the transfer of power was being brought forward and welcomed the commitment of Nato countries to help train the Iraqi forces struggling to put down insurgency.

"We are very pleased here, we are confident, and we are ready to take up our responsibility - even before 30 June," he said.

"I believe today we will challenge those elements in Iraq - the terrorists, the criminals, the Saddamists, the anti-democratic forces - by bringing the date of the handover of sovereignty even before 30 June, as a sign that we are ready for the job."

Mr Zebari did not say exactly when the handover would take place, but it is expected to happen swiftly.

Asked about the move, Mr Blair told reporters: "I'm not actually in a position right at this moment to confirm that, but the important thing is to understand that the will of the whole international community now is with Iraq as it takes control of its own destiny.

"We are there to help and support from now on."

Security fears

Another BBC correspondent in Istanbul, Jonny Dymond, says the date appears to have been brought forward to pre-empt further attacks by militants to coincide with the handover.

He says recent violence in Iraq in the run-up to the transfer of power has forced the hand of the authorities.

The Iraqi foreign minister's disclosure came as Nato leaders were arriving for the summit in Istanbul, where they are expected to endorse a plan to help train Iraqi security forces.

Nato's Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer says the alliance must take action to ensure security is maintained in Iraq after the handover of power.

"There is a broad agreement that a stable Iraq is in the interest of all allies," he said.

Nato ambassadors, who gathered in Istanbul for talks before the arrival of the heads of government, hammered out a draft agreement to provide training and equipment for Iraq's armed forces.

The move followed an urgent request from interim Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi.

It is not yet clear when the training operation will begin, nor how many personnel will be involved.

The 26-member alliance also looks likely to agree to the expansion of its operations in Afghanistan.

[American Patriot]

Great.. the media will get off our case and we can let the Iraqis mop up.