IRAQ: IRAQ'S PRESIDENT GHAZI AL-YAWAR SAID THAT A GRADUAL HANDOVER OF POWER HAS BEGUN

Record ID: 208461

  • Title: IRAQ: IRAQ'S PRESIDENT GHAZI AL-YAWAR SAID THAT A GRADUAL HANDOVER OF POWER HAS BEGUN
  • Date: 22nd June 2004
  • Summary: (EUROPE) KIRKUK, IRAQ (JUNE 22, 2004) (REUTERS) 1. SV IRAQ'S PRESIDENT GHAZI AL-YAWAR WALKS INTO NEWS CONFERENCE/PEOPLE STAND 0.08 2. MCU (Arabic) YAWAR: "We are preparing for handover of sovereignty. We started a gradual handover of power, we and the prime minister and I wanted to tell you that our decisions will be purely Iraqi ones." 0.34 3. SLV/SV CROWDS (2 SHOTS) 0.45 4. MCU (English) U.S. CIVIL ADMINISTRATOR PAUL BREMER: "The American people who are giving more to Iraq than ever before in the history have programmes, ninety programmes and projects with almost half a billion dollars that will come to this province." 0.59 5. SLV MEDIA (ARABIC TRANSLATION) 1.04 6. MCU (English) U.S. CIVIL ADMINISTRATOR PAUL BREMER: "These programmes that will focus on electricity, power and transmission, of electricity, power and water will soon begin to five employment to thousands of Iraqis in this province." 1.21 7. SV AUDIENCE/MEDIA (3 SHOTS) 1.40 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 7th July 2004 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: KIRKUK, IRAQ
  • Country: Iraq
  • Reuters ID: LVA8SA78Q27OG68PNE6PRIMUAEBG
  • Story Text: Iraq's president Ghazi Al-Yawar said that a gradual
    handover of power has begun, during a visit to Kirkuk with
    the U.S. civil administrator.




    Iraq's President Ghazi al-Yawar said on Tuesday
    (June 22) that a gradual handover of power has begun ahead
    of the formal handover on June 30.

    Al Yawar was speaking during a visit to Kirkuk with
    U.S. civil administrator in Iraq Paul Bremer and held a
    meeting with the city's governor and members of its local
    council.

    "We are preparing for handover of sovereignty. We
    started a gradual handover of power, we and the prime
    minister and I wanted to tell you that our decisions will
    be purely Iraqi ones," Yawar said.

    Iraqis are preparing for a transfer of power from the
    U.S.-led coalition forces scheduled for June 30.

    Bremer, who attended the meeting said that the American
    people have allocated up to half a million dollars for the
    construction of water and electrical power projects in the
    province, saying that these projects will provide work
    opportunities for the people of the province.

    The Kurds claim that the Kirkuk area is Kurdish and
    therefore must be part of any Kurdish autonomous area. They
    further claim they should receive a percentage of oil
    revenues from the area. But since Kirkuk oil accounted for
    70 percent of Iraq's total oil output by the 1970s,
    successive post-monarchy regimes have not been amenable to
    Kurdish views that Kirkuk should be a part of their
    autonomous region.

    Most of senior Iraqi officials were picked up by Bremer,
    such as members of the interim governing council, former
    and current cabinet ministers, chiefs of governorates, and
    tens of other positions in the military.

    A public opinion survey published in Washington shows
    that more than 9 out of 10 Iraqis consider the U.S. troops
    as occupiers and the majority think that Iraq would be
    safer if the foreign soldiers leave.


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