I wonder if he'll come back by the 30th?
(Betcha they're having a few conversations about it right now.)
"You should be there Paul, it'll look better.."
"OK then. But its on the condition I go back with George."
"Um, he's busy in Turkey...and the Sovereign Iraqi government hasn't invited him. We can just say that you had to 'report' to someone on the handover, now get yer ass back there."
Theres about 150,000 dudes that don't have the same luxury...
And as usual, the little people get to eat the shit sandwich made by the 'big' people.
Lions led by Donkeys.
Its a good job your average american joe has a decent set dangling between his legs.
Good material for a cartoon too.
CAUTION EXPLOSIVE:
light the blue fusepaper and retire to a safe distance.
Picture Paul Bremer lighting a huge firecracker named IRAQ, with his airplane warmed up and ready to roll in the background.
-------------------------
At a low-key ceremony in Baghdad, US administrator Paul Bremer gave legal documents to an Iraqi judge. He later left the country by plane.
--------------------------
US hands over sovereignty in Iraq
The Iraqi government still needs US-led forces to fight insurgents
The US has formally handed over power in Iraq, two days ahead of schedule.
At a low-key ceremony in Baghdad, US administrator Paul Bremer gave legal documents to an Iraqi judge. He later left the country by plane.
Iraq's interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, who also took part in the ceremony in the heavily-guarded Green Zone, said it was "a historic day".
But the BBC's Dan Damon in Baghdad says the handover will mean little to ordinary Iraqis.
Our correspondent says it is not clear how real the transfer of power will seem to the many Iraqis whose backing is needed to defeat insurgents.
This is a historic day, a happy day, a day that all Iraqis have been looking forward to
Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi
Security crucial to success
Profile: Iyad Allawi
During the ceremony, Mr Bremer, describing himself as "ex-administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority", said the US-led coalition had come to liberate Iraq - as anyone who saw the mass graves left by Saddam Hussein could attest.
"I leave Iraq confident in the future and confident in the ability of the government to meet the challenges of the future," he said.
Coalition officials later said Mr Bremer had left Iraq by plane.
Mr Allawi said: "This is a historic day, a happy day, a day that all Iraqis have been looking forward to."
He said the Iraqi government was committed to holding elections in January 2005, despite earlier suggestions that the poll might be delayed if security did not improve.
'Challenge'
The surprise move to bring forward the handover of sovereignty was first disclosed by Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, speaking after talks with UK Prime Minister Tony Blair at a Nato summit in Istanbul.
Bremer (right) said he was confident in the future of Iraq
Mr Zebari told journalists that the transfer of power was taking place early 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."
This day officially starts a new beginning for the Iraqi people
Josh Gardner, PA, USA
Have Your Say: Reaction to Iraq handover
The BBC's political editor Andrew Marr in Istanbul says the early transfer of power was originally due to be announced in Baghdad - and that Mr Zebari visibly startled Mr Blair by publicly revealing the plan.
Another BBC correspondent in Istanbul, Jonny Dymond, says it appears that the date was 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.
Security fears
The Iraqi foreign minister's disclosure came as Nato leaders were arriving for the summit in Istanbul, where they later endorsed a plan to help train Iraqi security forces.
E-SURVEY
Will the new authority be legitimate?
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.
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.
The 26-member alliance also looks likely to agree to the expansion of its operations in Afghanistan.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3845517.stm
[This message was edited by eek on June 28, 2004 at 07:37 AM.]
(Betcha they're having a few conversations about it right now.)
"You should be there Paul, it'll look better.."
"OK then. But its on the condition I go back with George."
"Um, he's busy in Turkey...and the Sovereign Iraqi government hasn't invited him. We can just say that you had to 'report' to someone on the handover, now get yer ass back there."
Theres about 150,000 dudes that don't have the same luxury...
And as usual, the little people get to eat the shit sandwich made by the 'big' people.
Lions led by Donkeys.
Its a good job your average american joe has a decent set dangling between his legs.
Good material for a cartoon too.
CAUTION EXPLOSIVE:
light the blue fusepaper and retire to a safe distance.
Picture Paul Bremer lighting a huge firecracker named IRAQ, with his airplane warmed up and ready to roll in the background.
-------------------------
At a low-key ceremony in Baghdad, US administrator Paul Bremer gave legal documents to an Iraqi judge. He later left the country by plane.
--------------------------
US hands over sovereignty in Iraq
The Iraqi government still needs US-led forces to fight insurgents
The US has formally handed over power in Iraq, two days ahead of schedule.
At a low-key ceremony in Baghdad, US administrator Paul Bremer gave legal documents to an Iraqi judge. He later left the country by plane.
Iraq's interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, who also took part in the ceremony in the heavily-guarded Green Zone, said it was "a historic day".
But the BBC's Dan Damon in Baghdad says the handover will mean little to ordinary Iraqis.
Our correspondent says it is not clear how real the transfer of power will seem to the many Iraqis whose backing is needed to defeat insurgents.
This is a historic day, a happy day, a day that all Iraqis have been looking forward to
Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi
Security crucial to success
Profile: Iyad Allawi
During the ceremony, Mr Bremer, describing himself as "ex-administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority", said the US-led coalition had come to liberate Iraq - as anyone who saw the mass graves left by Saddam Hussein could attest.
"I leave Iraq confident in the future and confident in the ability of the government to meet the challenges of the future," he said.
Coalition officials later said Mr Bremer had left Iraq by plane.
Mr Allawi said: "This is a historic day, a happy day, a day that all Iraqis have been looking forward to."
He said the Iraqi government was committed to holding elections in January 2005, despite earlier suggestions that the poll might be delayed if security did not improve.
'Challenge'
The surprise move to bring forward the handover of sovereignty was first disclosed by Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, speaking after talks with UK Prime Minister Tony Blair at a Nato summit in Istanbul.
Bremer (right) said he was confident in the future of Iraq
Mr Zebari told journalists that the transfer of power was taking place early 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."
This day officially starts a new beginning for the Iraqi people
Josh Gardner, PA, USA
Have Your Say: Reaction to Iraq handover
The BBC's political editor Andrew Marr in Istanbul says the early transfer of power was originally due to be announced in Baghdad - and that Mr Zebari visibly startled Mr Blair by publicly revealing the plan.
Another BBC correspondent in Istanbul, Jonny Dymond, says it appears that the date was 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.
Security fears
The Iraqi foreign minister's disclosure came as Nato leaders were arriving for the summit in Istanbul, where they later endorsed a plan to help train Iraqi security forces.
E-SURVEY
Will the new authority be legitimate?
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.
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.
The 26-member alliance also looks likely to agree to the expansion of its operations in Afghanistan.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3845517.stm
[This message was edited by eek on June 28, 2004 at 07:37 AM.]
