Washington, July 24: The top US civilian in Iraq, Paul Bremer, has said the creation of Iraq's governing council was the first of three steps "on the road to a fully sovereign Iraqi government, democratic government" and has asked Iraq's neighbours to stay away from interfering in Iraq. Bremer, who was speaking at a press conference at the foreign press centre of the US State Department, said the next step will be the convening of a constitutional conference to write a new Iraqi Constitution.
"That will lead to the third step, which is elections for a sovereign Iraqi government", Bremer said, adding, "It will be the point at which the coalition's sovereignty is handed over to Iraqis." Speaking on the future government of Iraq, the civilian administrator said, "The ultimate government in Iraq should not be sectarian. It should be representative of all of the Iraqi people".
Emphasising that the governing council had an important role to play, he said, "The challenge for the governing council now, is to work together and take the responsibility, some very substantial responsibilities, which we have agreed that they will take." The council, he said, was now responsible for appointing ministers to each of the Iraqi ministries. Apart from being responsible for preparing a budget for 2004, it is also to call into being a constitutional process for creating a new constitution, Bremer added. Bureau Report