The 24 men and one woman who will act as Iraqi ministers until
elections are held in the war-torn country were sworn in yesterday,
as the Polish army took military command of a large chunk of
south-central territory.
Four US soldiers were meanwhile wounded when their convoy struck an improvised explosive device near Saddam Hussein's home town of Tikrit.
In Babylon, US commanders handed over to their Polish counterparts control of one of the zones of the country marked out by the US-led coalition.
As head of a 21-nation multinational force, Poland assumed command from the US Marine Corps amid pomp and ceremony in the ancient city, near the city of Hilla, some 100 km south of Baghdad.
"The multinational division has become a first, it was founded with the help of our American friends and thanks to the brave decision by 21 countries," said Poland's Major General Andrzej Tyszkiewicz.
After the ceremony, Tyszkiewicz indirectly referred to the coalition's failure to bring in many nations from the United Nations for the peace-keeping mission.
"We're open to all other countries who wish to join our multinational division," said Tsyzkiewicz.
"We'd be extremely happy if the Western European nations joined us".
The division was setting up shop in an area the US-led Coalition Provisional Authority has touted as a success story.
But this vision was jolted by the shooting of a US soldier in Hilla on August 22 and Friday's car bombing in the holy city of Najaf, 180 km south of Baghdad that killed 83 people, including a top Shiite cleric.
With the handover, the provinces of Karbala and Babil will be under Polish command. Najaf and al-Qadisiyah will be under Spanish control and the province of Wasit will be under Ukrainian command.
The southern provinces of Basra, Muthanna, Maysan and Dhi Qar fall under a British-led multinational division.
In another ceremony back in Baghdad, where a car bomb went off Tuesday outside a police station killing an Iraqi officer, most of the members of Iraq's first post-Saddam cabinet were sworn in.
It was a move toward stability after the Najaf car bombing claimed the life of cleric Mohammad Baqer al-Hakim, one of the country's most prominent Shiite leaders.
The cabinet represents Iraq's various communities, with 13 ministries going to Shiite Muslims, five to Sunni Muslims, five to Kurds, one to the Turkmenis and one to the Christians.
"I swear by almighty Allah to do my utmost to serve and protect Iraq, its people, land and sovereignty, and Allah is my witness," said each minister in turn, as they placed their hand on a copy of the Koran, the Muslim holy book.
The Christian representative held a copy of the Bible as he was sworn in.
Several members of the cabinet were not able to attend the ceremony for "technical reasons" and were due to be sworn in later, said Governing Council member Ibrahim Jafari.
The cabinet, unveiled Monday, will report to the Governing Council, approved in July by the US-led coalition that ousted Saddam in April.
Each ministry will also continue to be supervised by a coalition-appointed advisor, most of whom are American.
Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani, who served as one of the official witnesses at the swearing-in, rejected suggestions the cabinet would remain powerless as long as the coalition advisors stayed in place.
"All power goes to the ministers and they have all the rights," said Talabani, head of one of the two main Kurdish factions, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan.
Even so, top US administrator Paul Bremer, who attended the swearing-in ceremony, will retain overall authority until an elected government is in place, a move scheduled for next year at the earliest.
In a further sign of unrest in Iraq, the army said four US soldiers were wounded Tuesday afternoon when their convoy struck an improvised explosive device (IED) near Saddam's home town.
The four were in stable condition after the incident that occurred near Tikrit, some 175 km north of Baghdad, an army spokesperson said.
The soldiers were from the US army's 4th Infantry Division, which is based in Tikrit.
IEDs are frequently used by suspected former regime loyalists, Saddam Fedayeen paramilitary forces and other insurgents accused of waging a guerrilla war against the US-led occupation.
US soldiers have been dying almost daily in Iraq and more have now been killed since President George W Bush declared main combat operations over on May 1 than during the war itself. – Sapa-AFP.
Four US soldiers were meanwhile wounded when their convoy struck an improvised explosive device near Saddam Hussein's home town of Tikrit.
In Babylon, US commanders handed over to their Polish counterparts control of one of the zones of the country marked out by the US-led coalition.
As head of a 21-nation multinational force, Poland assumed command from the US Marine Corps amid pomp and ceremony in the ancient city, near the city of Hilla, some 100 km south of Baghdad.
"The multinational division has become a first, it was founded with the help of our American friends and thanks to the brave decision by 21 countries," said Poland's Major General Andrzej Tyszkiewicz.
After the ceremony, Tyszkiewicz indirectly referred to the coalition's failure to bring in many nations from the United Nations for the peace-keeping mission.
"We're open to all other countries who wish to join our multinational division," said Tsyzkiewicz.
"We'd be extremely happy if the Western European nations joined us".
The division was setting up shop in an area the US-led Coalition Provisional Authority has touted as a success story.
But this vision was jolted by the shooting of a US soldier in Hilla on August 22 and Friday's car bombing in the holy city of Najaf, 180 km south of Baghdad that killed 83 people, including a top Shiite cleric.
With the handover, the provinces of Karbala and Babil will be under Polish command. Najaf and al-Qadisiyah will be under Spanish control and the province of Wasit will be under Ukrainian command.
The southern provinces of Basra, Muthanna, Maysan and Dhi Qar fall under a British-led multinational division.
In another ceremony back in Baghdad, where a car bomb went off Tuesday outside a police station killing an Iraqi officer, most of the members of Iraq's first post-Saddam cabinet were sworn in.
It was a move toward stability after the Najaf car bombing claimed the life of cleric Mohammad Baqer al-Hakim, one of the country's most prominent Shiite leaders.
The cabinet represents Iraq's various communities, with 13 ministries going to Shiite Muslims, five to Sunni Muslims, five to Kurds, one to the Turkmenis and one to the Christians.
"I swear by almighty Allah to do my utmost to serve and protect Iraq, its people, land and sovereignty, and Allah is my witness," said each minister in turn, as they placed their hand on a copy of the Koran, the Muslim holy book.
The Christian representative held a copy of the Bible as he was sworn in.
Several members of the cabinet were not able to attend the ceremony for "technical reasons" and were due to be sworn in later, said Governing Council member Ibrahim Jafari.
The cabinet, unveiled Monday, will report to the Governing Council, approved in July by the US-led coalition that ousted Saddam in April.
Each ministry will also continue to be supervised by a coalition-appointed advisor, most of whom are American.
Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani, who served as one of the official witnesses at the swearing-in, rejected suggestions the cabinet would remain powerless as long as the coalition advisors stayed in place.
"All power goes to the ministers and they have all the rights," said Talabani, head of one of the two main Kurdish factions, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan.
Even so, top US administrator Paul Bremer, who attended the swearing-in ceremony, will retain overall authority until an elected government is in place, a move scheduled for next year at the earliest.
In a further sign of unrest in Iraq, the army said four US soldiers were wounded Tuesday afternoon when their convoy struck an improvised explosive device (IED) near Saddam's home town.
The four were in stable condition after the incident that occurred near Tikrit, some 175 km north of Baghdad, an army spokesperson said.
The soldiers were from the US army's 4th Infantry Division, which is based in Tikrit.
IEDs are frequently used by suspected former regime loyalists, Saddam Fedayeen paramilitary forces and other insurgents accused of waging a guerrilla war against the US-led occupation.
US soldiers have been dying almost daily in Iraq and more have now been killed since President George W Bush declared main combat operations over on May 1 than during the war itself. – Sapa-AFP.
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