Shi'ite province handed over to Iraqi control - governor of Najaf a Finnish citizen
The US-led coalition transferred the Iraqi province of Najaf, south of Baghdad, to local control on Wednesday.
In a telephone interview, Asaad al-Taee, the governor of the predominantly Shi'ite province described what he saw "Rauhallinen, ihana, aurinkoinen, kaunis päivä" (a peaceful, wonderful, sunny, beautiful day), he said - in fluent Finnish.
Taee has Finnish citizenship; he and his family of seven children fled the rule of Saddam Hussein and came to Finland in 1993.
The weather in Najaf was nothing like that in Finland. Nevertheless, Taee found a point of comparison appropriate to the season.
"Our own army and our own police are taking care of the whole province. In Najaf people are satisfied. They are happy. This is like Christmas", he said.
The handover ceremony that took place at the local football stadium, which was under heavy guard, took three hours. Different units of the army, and various military vehicles took part in the parade. The army swore an oath to take care of security in the area.
Although Najaf is a peaceful city by Iraqi standards, 16,000 police patrolled the streets. All motor vehicle traffic was banned in the city for the whole day.
After the ceremony, Governor Taee signed an agreement on the transfer of responsibility with representatives of the United States, who had come from Baghdad.
Responsibility for policing Najaf was handed over to the Iraqis unofficially earlier in the autumn. Now the Iraqis also control the army there.
Ultimate responsibility for the future of the province is with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who is the commander of the Defence Forces.
Taee was elected governor of the province in January 2005. He belongs to one of the most respected Shi'ite families in Najaf. Before fleeing to Finland, Taee was involved in Iraqi politics and was jailed twice for his activities.
The nine years that he spent in prison did not prevent Taee from taking part in an uprising against Saddam in 1991.
Najaf is the third of Iraq's 18 provinces to be handed over to the control of local authorities. The southern province of Muthana was transferred to the Iraqis by the Birtish in July, and Italian forces gave up Dhi Qar in September.
on the practical level, US forces have largely avoided Najaf, which is a Shi'ite holy city. In spite of this, US representatives interviewed by news agencies characterised the transfer of power as a significant step toward strengthening the power of the Iraqi government.
The American-led forces are nevertheless ready to intervene if the security situation gets worse.
The ethnically homogenous Najaf has been largely spared violence between religious groups. However, occasional violence has flared up between rival Shi'ite factions there. On Tuesday the International Crisis Group warned of a rising of tensions between the Mahdi Army and the Badr Brigade.
Taee would not admit to being worried about Najaf. He said that he had met with Muqtada al-Sadr, the radical leader of the Mahdi Army, who had promised to stop armed activities in Najaf.
"Perhaps the situation is worse in Baghdad or somewhere else", he said.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 21.12.2006 - TODAY |
 Shi'ite province handed over to Iraqi control - governor of Najaf a Finnish citizen |
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