Bremer leaves Iraq as transfer completed

US governor Paul Bremer has left Iraq after the transfer of sovereignty to an interim government was completed today.

Bremer left Iraq on a US Air Force C-130 military plane about 12:30pm (9.30am Irish time), said Robert Tappan, an official of the former coalition occupation authority.

He was accompanied by coalition spokesman Dan Senor and close members of his staff.

Bremer’s last moments in Iraq were spent in a meeting with Lieut General Ricardo Sanchez, the top US commander in the country.

An aide to Bremer declined to say where Bremer was headed, saying only that “he was going home”.

All ministers in the new government were to be sworn in during another ceremony expected later today, a senior coalition official said.

Asked why the new government decided to hold the transfer earlier, he said Allawi had indicated his ministries were already fully staffed.

There was little initial public reaction to the near-secret transfer ceremony, which was broadcast on Iraqi and Arabic satellite television stations.

There was no celebratory gunfire – which rattles through Baghdad when Iraq’s national soccer team defeats foreign team.