Low-key ceremony comes two days early. Members of Iraq’s interim government took an oath of office Monday just hours after the United States returned the nation’s sovereignty. Led by Iraq’s interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, each member of the new government placed a hand on the Koran and promised to serve with sincerity and impartiality. Iraqi flags lined the wall behind them. The handover of sovereignty took place earlier in the day, at 10:26 a.m. Baghdad time. The transfer of power came two days before the June 30 deadline previously announced by the U.S.-led coalition.The preparations for the possibility of an early transfer were started a week ago, according to a senior U.S. official. The low-key transfer ceremony happened inside the Coalition Provisional Authority’s “Green Zone” headquarters in Baghdad. Full Story
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