Posted on 06/27/2004 10:50:49 PM PDT by Southack
Edited on 06/27/2004 11:30:47 PM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
Update:
IRAQ HANDOVER 'TODAY'
The handover of power in Iraq is to be brought forward to today.
A formal announcement will be made later today, Tony Blair said.
The informal announcement was made by Iraq's foreign minister Hoshyar Zebari.
The handover of power to an interim Iraqi government was supposed to take place on June 30.
Mr Zebari said the deteriorating security situation in the country was one of the reasons why the date had been brought forward.
"We will challenge these elements in Iraq, the anti-democratic elements, by even bringing the handover of sovereignty before June 30 as a sign we are ready for it," he said.
He added: "We have made some very good progress in terms of the new security council (in Iraq) and the return of sovereignty to the Iraqi people to take away the level of occupation we have suffered a great deal from.
"There are many Iraqis who are standing up to the challenge. We are here to seek more help and assistance, training and equipment."
Never heard this one before! Excellent, and so true.
It musta worked...
MSNBC has it on NOW!!
I haven't gone to bed at a decent hour since becoming a freeper. Like NOW for example *LOL*
You hit the 100 mark in 30 minutes at nearly 2:30AM EST with this scoop.
Bravo!
Me Niether, my sleep pattern's all messed up!!!!:-)
Here is somthing from Bloomberg
Japan National Oil Scraps $1.4 Billion Initial Public Share Sale of Inpex
Stocks in Japan Rise, Led by Mitsubishi Estate, Banks; South Korea Falls
Crude Oil Futures Decline After Strike in Norway Ends, Iraqi Supplies Rise
Iraq Handover May Be Brought Forward, Foreign Minister Says
June 28 (Bloomberg) -- Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said the date for the handover to the transitional government may be brought forward from June 30, to show the new administration is ready to tackle terrorists trying to undermine it.
``Even before June 30, I believed that we will challenge these terrorists, the criminals, the Saddamists and anti- democratic forces by bringing even the date of the handover of sovereignty forward as a sign that we are ready,'' Zebari said before a meeting with U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair at a summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in Istanbul.
NATO leaders meeting in Istanbul may respond to a request from the Iraqi government by agreeing to help with training Iraqi security forces. NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said yesterday his organization's help would contribute to ending insurgencies against the U.S. occupiers and the Iraqi government.
``I am not actually in a position right at this moment to confirm that'' the handover will be brought forward, Blair said. ``But the important thing to understand from now on is that Iraq controls its own destiny. We are there to help and support from now on.''
To contact the reporter on this story:
Rob Hutton in Istanbul at Rhutton1@bloomberg.net
Just heard it on msnbc
I absolutely LOVE it.
We are the courageous and the terrorists are the cowards. BRAVO, Bush and everyone who thought up this sneak plan!
Sleep? What's that?
I predict FOX will break in with the news by 12:00 PDT...
I almost went on to sleep just before I saw this pop up on Breaking News....amazing story....I would have never guessed.
Ah man, that's just proof that this is already "old news" here at FR by the time Fox, Drudge, CNN, and MSNBC finally get it...
Well I guess the planned Monday media Michael Moorethon just got preempted...
nothing on cnn.com yet... (they are asleep, dreaming of teleprompters saying "June 30th, a historic day for the nation of Iraq")
Yuck. T'aint a sack of flour big enough to roll her in and look for ...
No news on Fox yet.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.