Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

A new interim governing council for Iraq, representing the country's various religious and ethnic groups, convened for the first time in Baghdad Sunday.

The first action taken by the 25-member body was to declare April 9 a national holiday, marking the day Saddam Hussein was ousted from power. Council member, Mohammed Bahr al-Uloum, announced the decision, saying the group also canceled all holidays related to the former government.

Mr. Al-Uloum, a Shi'ite cleric, said the Governing Council promises to work to revive the economy, improve security and restore 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 Sunday's meeting the first step in returning sovereignty to the Iraqi people The council is reported to be comprised of 13 Shi'ite and five Sunni Muslims, along with a Christian, five Kurds and a Turkmen. Minority Sunnis dominated Iraq's government in Saddam's regime.

The American administrator in Baghdad, Paul Bremer, says the governing council has the power to appoint interim ministers, and will work with the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq on policy and budgets. Mr. Bremer will have the power to over-rule council decisions.

Speaking on Iraqi television Saturday, Mr. Bremer said formation of a governing council gives Iraqis a central role in running their country. He said this marks the start of a process leading to full, free and fair democratic elections.

Writing in today's edition of The New York Times, Mr. Bremer says the question of when coalition forces will leave Iraq depends, in part, on how long it takes to approve a new constitution.

Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.