UN Security Council Approves Transfer of Sovereignty in Iraq to a Temporary Iraqi Government - 2004-06-09

The United Nations Security Council unanimously approved the transfer of sovereignty in Iraq from the US-led coalition to a temporary Iraqi government. The United States and Britain were the sponsors of the resolution for the transfer of sovereignty in Iraq. President Bush of the United States and Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain expressed their satisfaction with the approval of this resolution as a significant milestone regarding Iraq. Ghazi al-Yawer, the interim President of Iraq, stated that this resolution has restored full sovereignty to the Iraqis. Mr. al-Yawer called on the international community to assist in maintaining law and order in Iraq until the country can train its own security forces. The resolution allows the multinational force led by the United States to remain in Iraq to establish peace. The revised resolution promised greater cooperation between coalition forces and the new Iraqi government, but did not grant the Iraqi government the authority to cancel US-led military operations in Iraq. In other news, in two car bombing incidents on Tuesday, at least 11 Iraqis and one American soldier were killed. The US military stated that one of the vehicles exploded outside a coalition base near the city of Baqubah, resulting in the deaths of two Iraqis and one American soldier. Ten other soldiers were also injured in this incident. The second vehicle exploded near the mayor's office in Mosul in northern Iraq, killing nine people and injuring 25 others. In another event in the city of Fallujah, west of Baghdad, eyewitnesses reported that an Iraqi civilian was killed when armed men opened fire on US forces near an Iraqi police checkpoint. Meanwhile, in southern Baghdad, six soldiers from Slovakia, Poland, and Latvia lost their lives in an accidental explosion of munitions they were attempting to destroy.