Iraq's new council convenes

Monday, 14 July 2003 12:00 AM

The new interim governing council convened for the first time in Baghdad yesterday, signalling a "defining" moment in Iraq's precarious modernity.

The 25-member Iraqi Governing Council, reportedly comprised of 13 Shi'ite and five Sunni Muslims, five Kurds and a Turkmen and a Christian, has the ominous remit of reviving the Iraq's war torn economy, shoring up domestic security and putting back on track damaged public services.

The council also has the power to appoint interim ministers.

A new constitution will also be drafted.

The body named April 9th a national holiday, the day Saddam Hussein was ousted from power.

Chief US advisor in Iraq Paul Bremer said coalition forces would leave Iraq when the new constitution was firmly entrenched in democratic Iraq.

The inaugural meeting came as a bomb exploded in Baghdad on Sunday, killing one Iraqi and wounding another.

More than 30 US soldiers have been killed in Iraq since George Bush declared the war effectively over on May 1.

Tony Blair said: "When we see the Iraqi people taking at least the first tentative steps towards self-government announced today, then I hope at least one thing we can all agree on.

"The world is more secure, Iraq is a better place, will be a better place, with Saddam out of power."

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