Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

A new interim governing council for Iraq held its first meeting Sunday in an important step toward creating a representative and democratic Iraqi government.

The 25-member body, representing Iraq's various religious and ethnic groups, declared April ninth a national holiday to mark the day Saddam Hussein was ousted from power. The group also canceled all holidays related to the former Iraqi regime.

At the Baghdad meeting, the council pledged to work to revive Iraq's economy, improve security and improve public services. The council is also due to begin work on a new constitution ahead of general elections.

The U.N. representative in Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello, called the meeting the first step in returning sovereignty to the Iraqi people. The American administrator in Baghdad, Paul Bremer, says the council has the power to appoint interim ministers. But Mr. Bremer will have the power to over-rule council decisions.

In another development, a group claiming to be an Iraqi branch of the al-Qaida terrorist network says it, and not followers of Saddam Hussein, is behind the frequent attacks on coalition troops in Iraq. In a video broadcast on Al-Arabiya television Sunday, the group also warned of more attacks in the coming days.

Earlier Sunday, an explosion near a police station in a Baghdad suburb killed one Iraqi. The Associated Press reports Iraqi police believe the blast may have been a failed car bombing attack on the police station.

Some information for this report provided by AP and Reuters.