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US to formally launch handover of power to Iraq

PLA Daily 2004-01-05

¡¡¡¡WASHINGTON, Jan. 4 (Xinhuanet) -- The United States will formally launch the handover of power to Iraq with the final game plan still not fully in place, the Washington Post reported Sunday.

¡¡¡¡The United States begins the complicated political, economic and security transfer with a general framework and a June 30 deadline for completion set by an agreement reached on Nov. 15 between the US-led Coalition Provisional Authority and the Iraqi Governing Council.

¡¡¡¡But critical details are still being negotiated between the Iraqis and US administrator Paul Bremer, some of which could determine whether the new Iraqi government is ultimately embraced by the majority of Iraq's 22 million people,¡¡¡¡ Besides figuring out who will rule the oil-rich country in Saddam Hussein's wake, Iraqis will have to deal with a host of other key questions over the next two months, such as the form of the future government in Iraq, and the role of Islam, and ethnic, tribal or religious groups in the country's political life, the paper noted.

¡¡¡¡The deadline has been set on Feb. 28 for agreement on these and other basic questions, to be codified in the recently renamed Transition Administration Law, the precursor to a constitution.

¡¡¡¡The Iraqis will also have to determine in due course their relationship with US troops, and therefore the United States, after the handover of power, The Post said.