A first government under occupation was sworn in yesterday in Iraq as Poland took control of a large chunk of the south and the US decided to seek more UN help to calm the gathering storm.
By the ancient ruins of Babylon, Poland became the third country after the US and Britain to accept official responsibility as an occupying force.
As head of a 21-nation force, Poland assumed control from the US Marine Corps amid pomp and ceremony in the amphitheater of Babylon, built by former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein on the ruins of the original theater erected by Alexander the Great in 330BC.
"The multinational division has become a first, it was founded with the help of our American friends and thanks to the brave decision by 21 countries," said Poland's Major-General Andrzej Tyszkiewicz.
"Our common focus is to help Iraqi people, and to wipe out the traces of Saddam Hussein's monstrous dictatorship and build a new basis of peaceful existence."
With the handover, the provinces of Karbala and Babil will be under Polish command. Najaf and al-Qadisiyah will be under Spanish control and the province of Wasit will be under Ukrainian command. The areas lie in a zone marked out by the coalition between Baghdad and the southern city of Basra.
In another ceremony in Baghdad, most of the 25 members of Iraq's first post-Saddam Cabinet were sworn in.
They represent Iraq's various communities, with 13 ministries going to Shiite Muslims, five to Sunni Muslims, five to Kurds, one to the Turkmenis and one to the Christians.
"I swear by almighty Allah to do my utmost to serve and protect Iraq, its people, land and sovereignty, and Allah is my witness," said each minister in turn, as they placed their hand on a copy of the Koran, the Muslim holy book.
The Christian representative held a copy of the Bible as he was sworn in.
Eight members of the Cabinet were not able to attend the ceremony for "technical reasons" and were due to be sworn in later, Governing Council member Ibrahim Jafari said.
Each ministry will also continue to be supervised by a coalition-appointed adviser, most of whom are American.
And Paul Bremer, the top US official in Iraq, will retain overall authority until an elected government is in place, scheduled for next year at the earliest.
Bremer, who attended the ceremony, pledged that the interim Cabinet would exercise real control in running the government, even if ultimate sovereignty remained with the US-led occupation.
Many countries around the world have hailed the appointments as a positive step toward restoring Iraq's sovereignty. The Arab League also welcomed it as "a step in the right direction."
However, with the grisly routine of death and destruction continuing, US President George W. Bush agreed to push ahead with a new UN resolution, making it easier for more countries to participate in the stabilization force.
"We have worked out language through the inter-agency process," one senior US official said, adding that a draft of the resolution -- which will more fully define the UN role in postwar Iraq -- would shortly be presented to Security Council members.
MISINFORMATION: The generated content tends to adopt China’s official stance, such as ‘Taiwan is currently governed by the Chinese central government,’ the NSB said Five China-developed artificial intelligence (AI) language models exhibit cybersecurity risks and content biases, an inspection conducted by the National Security Bureau (NSB) showed. The five AI tools are: DeepSeek, Doubao (豆包), Yiyan (文心一言), Tongyi (通義千問) and Yuanbao (騰訊元寶), the bureau said, advising people to remain vigilant to protect personal data privacy and corporate business secrets. The NSB said it, in accordance with the National Intelligence Services Act (國家情報工作法), has reviewed international cybersecurity reports and intelligence, and coordinated with the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau and the National Police Agency’s Criminal Investigation Bureau to conduct an inspection of China-made AI language
BOOST IN CONFIDENCE: The sale sends a clear message of support for Taiwan and dispels rumors that US President Donald Trump ‘sold out’ the nation, an expert said The US government on Thursday announced a possible sale to Taiwan of fighter jet parts, which was estimated to cost about US$330 million, in a move that an expert said “sends a clear message of support for Taiwan” amid fears that Washington might be wavering in its attitude toward Taipei. It was the first announcement of an arms sale to Taiwan since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House earlier this year. The proposed package includes non-standard components, spare and repair parts, consumables and accessories, as well repair and return support for the F-16, C-130 and Indigenous Defense Fighter aircraft,
CHECKING BOUNDARIES: China wants to disrupt solidarity among democracies and test their red lines, but it is instead pushing nations to become more united, an expert said The US Department of State on Friday expressed deep concern over a Chinese public security agency’s investigation into Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋) for “secession.” “China’s actions threaten free speech and erode norms that have underpinned the cross-strait ‘status quo’ for decades,” a US Department of State spokesperson said. The Chongqing Municipal Public Security Bureau late last month listed Shen as “wanted” and launched an investigation into alleged “secession-related” criminal activities, including his founding of the Kuma Academy, a civil defense organization that prepares people for an invasion by China. The spokesperson said that the US was “deeply concerned” about the bureau investigating Shen
DISPUTE: A Chinese official prompted a formal protest from Tokyo by saying that ‘the dirty head that sticks itself out must be cut off,’ after Takaichi’s Taiwan remarks Four armed China Coast Guard vessels yesterday morning sailed through disputed waters controlled by Japan, amid a diplomatic spat following Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments on Taiwan. The four ships sailed around the Senkaku Islands — known as the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) to Taiwan, and which Taiwan and China also claim — on Saturday before entering Japanese waters yesterday and left, the Japan Coast Guard said. The China Coast Guard said in a statement that it carried out a “rights enforcement patrol” through the waters and that it was a lawful operation. As of the end of last month,
RSS