Bloody legacy or red-letter day? US hands power back to Iraq

THE United States transferred sovereignty to an interim Iraqi government two days early yesterday in a surprise move that apparently caught insurgents off guard, averting a feared campaign of attacks to sabotage the move toward self-rule.

Legal documents transferring sovereignty were handed over by US governor Paul Bremer to chief justice Midhat al-Mahmood in a small ceremony in the heavily guarded Green Zone. Mr Bremer took charge in Iraq about a year ago.

"This is a historical day ... a day that all Iraqis have been looking forward to," said Iraqi President Ghazi Al-Yawer. "This is a day we are going to take our country back into the international forum."