| Iraq gained freedom two days early Yesterday, Iraq regained its lost sovereignty - the United States transferred power to the interim Iraqi government. This happened in the strictest secrecy and two days earlier than planned - June 30. The modest ceremony took place at the heavily guarded US military headquarters in Baghdad. The former head of the provisional coalition administration, Paul Bremer, took out a fateful document from a blue briefcase. “In accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1546, the interim coalition administration ceases to exist on June 28. From this moment on, the occupation ends and the interim government of Iraq exercises full sovereignty for the benefit of the Iraqi people,” he read. At 10:26 Paul Bremer handed over the document to Iraq's interim President Sheikh Ghazi al-Yawar.
Two hours later, Paul Bremer left Iraq by plane. It was like running away. And the very fact of the premature transfer of sovereignty speaks volumes. The haste in US action is largely due to concerns of self-defense. More than 100 people are killed every week in Iraq by militants, including coalition soldiers. It is not without reason that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressed yesterday that the early transfer of sovereignty in Iraq “is caused by the fact that the security situation is deteriorating.”
The terrorists were probably preparing to “commemorate” the transfer of sovereignty with new terrorist attacks. The day before yesterday's ceremony, the Qatari TV channel Al-Jazeera showed the American corporal of Lebanese origin Wassef Ali Hassoun taken hostage. The invaders promised to cut off his head. Explosions and American bloodshed could undermine the propaganda effect of transferred sovereignty. Now the expected terrorist attacks will appear as a belated and cowardly blow to the Iraqi government that has just gained power.
So, the 425-day American occupation of Iraq is over. “The Iraqis got their country back,” US President George W. Bush proudly declared yesterday at the NATO summit in Turkey. Recent US polls show that for the first time in the 15 months since the war began, a majority of Americans (54%) believe sending troops to Iraq was a mistake. In the midst of the election campaign, President Bush is forced to prove to the American voter that the war in Iraq has ended in success. However, in reality, security in the country will continue to be ensured by the 160,000-strong coalition forces. Russia will still not participate in peacekeeping forces in Iraq. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said yesterday in Istanbul: “I don’t see conditions for this, we prefer peaceful spheres of assistance to this country.”
New President Sheikh Ghazi al-Yawar and the interim government of Ayad Allawi took the oath of office yesterday. George Bush proposed to the new authorities to restore diplomatic relations between the two states, severed in 1990 after the occupation of Kuwait by Iraqi troops. The US Embassy in Iraq will be the largest diplomatic mission in the world, with 1,000 employees. It will be headed by John Negroponte, who until recently held the post of US permanent representative to the UN. He flew to Baghdad yesterday and will now take over from Paul Bremer to oversee the Iraqi reconstruction program, the largest aid project in US history, costing $18.4 billion.
To support the authority of the new government of Iraq, the Americans are ready in the coming days to transfer the ousted President Saddam Hussein to the legal responsibility of the new government. His trial could take place as early as next week, but he will be guarded by American soldiers until his sentencing. In the midst of yesterday's celebrations, information emerged that the Americans managed to capture one of the leaders of al-Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the organizer of a number of high-profile terrorist attacks, including the beheading of hostages. Reports of his detention were later denied.
“There can hardly be any talk of any improvement in the situation in Iraq,” says Viktor Kremenyuk, deputy director of the Institute of the USA and Canada. “The war will continue, but there will be a division of powers: now the Americans will wage a military struggle against the opposition, and the new Iraqi government will create the impression that it is building a new society.” According to the Russian expert, “this expands the capabilities of the United States in Iraq, but the armed opposition can, on the one hand, wage war against the American occupiers and aggressors, and on the other, try to force the new Iraqi authorities to dance to their tune.”
Yesterday, reports of the early transfer of sovereignty to the interim government of Iraq led to a noticeable drop in oil prices. By midday local time on the New York Mercantile Exchange, a barrel of crude oil for August delivery fell 3.9% to $36.1. This is the lowest price per barrel of oil over the past two months. Andrey ZLOBIN |
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