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Iraqis unite for anti-US march
Thousands of Shia and Sunni Muslims have marched through Baghdad protesting against the US occupation, and demanding a say in the new Iraqi Government.
Up to 10,000 people gathered in front of a Sunni Muslim mosque in northern Baghdad, then marched across a bridge over the Tigris to the Kadhamiya quarter, home to one of Iraq's holiest Shia shrines.
The march - one of the largest since the war ended - shows how religious voices from the two main branches of Islam are getting stronger as negotiations for an interim authority take shape, says the BBC's Barbara Plett in Baghdad.
It comes as Iraq's new US administrator, Paul Bremer, conducts a major review of the country's security needs - and of plans for the its political future.
Many have been calling for an Islamic revival in post-war Iraq, especially the majority Shias, but fearful of sectarian splits they put on a show of unity with the minority Sunnis, who ran the country under Saddam Hussein, our correspondent says.
Soldiers watch protest
The demonstrators marched to celebrate the birthday of the prophet Mohammed but their slogans were political.
They said those Iraqis negotiating with the Americans were exile groups who did not represent them.
"What we are calling for is an interim government that represents all segments of Iraqi society," said Ali Salman, an activist.
Small groups of US infantrymen, including snipers on nearby rooftops, watched the rally but did not intervene, AP reported.
Several dozen Shia organizers armed with rifles patrolled the area. They, too, were left alone by the Americans.
There was a second protest in Baghdad on Monday, as about 100 bus drivers demanded their company chief be reinstated by the US authorities who sacked him because of his Baath Party background.
Delays in transition
BBC Middle East analyst Roger Hardy says it is clear that Mr Bremer is reassessing how to handle the promised transition from American to Iraqi rule.
And although he is not ready to confirm it, the signs are the transition will be slower than originally planned, our analyst says.
The political groups which were formally in opposition - and now consider themselves the country's embryonic leadership - have been quick to criticise what Mr Bremer told them in a closed meeting on Friday.
He reportedly said the Americans and the British would have to govern the country for an "indefinite period" - and declined to commit himself to a timetable for handing over power to an interim Iraqi authority.
His predecessor, Jay Garner, had said the nucleus of such an authority would emerge this month. That now looks too optimistic.
The Americans fear that if they rush to empower a group of "emerging leaders", this might produce a weak and unstable government.
But if they govern the country themselves - and control its oil and its oil revenues - they risk being increasingly resented as a new colonial power.
Story from BBC NEWS:
Published: 2003/05/19 11:46:37 GMT
Thousands of Shia and Sunni Muslims have marched through Baghdad protesting against the US occupation, and demanding a say in the new Iraqi Government.
Up to 10,000 people gathered in front of a Sunni Muslim mosque in northern Baghdad, then marched across a bridge over the Tigris to the Kadhamiya quarter, home to one of Iraq's holiest Shia shrines.
The march - one of the largest since the war ended - shows how religious voices from the two main branches of Islam are getting stronger as negotiations for an interim authority take shape, says the BBC's Barbara Plett in Baghdad.
It comes as Iraq's new US administrator, Paul Bremer, conducts a major review of the country's security needs - and of plans for the its political future.
Many have been calling for an Islamic revival in post-war Iraq, especially the majority Shias, but fearful of sectarian splits they put on a show of unity with the minority Sunnis, who ran the country under Saddam Hussein, our correspondent says.
Soldiers watch protest
The demonstrators marched to celebrate the birthday of the prophet Mohammed but their slogans were political.
They said those Iraqis negotiating with the Americans were exile groups who did not represent them.
"What we are calling for is an interim government that represents all segments of Iraqi society," said Ali Salman, an activist.
Small groups of US infantrymen, including snipers on nearby rooftops, watched the rally but did not intervene, AP reported.
Several dozen Shia organizers armed with rifles patrolled the area. They, too, were left alone by the Americans.
There was a second protest in Baghdad on Monday, as about 100 bus drivers demanded their company chief be reinstated by the US authorities who sacked him because of his Baath Party background.
Delays in transition
BBC Middle East analyst Roger Hardy says it is clear that Mr Bremer is reassessing how to handle the promised transition from American to Iraqi rule.
And although he is not ready to confirm it, the signs are the transition will be slower than originally planned, our analyst says.
The political groups which were formally in opposition - and now consider themselves the country's embryonic leadership - have been quick to criticise what Mr Bremer told them in a closed meeting on Friday.
He reportedly said the Americans and the British would have to govern the country for an "indefinite period" - and declined to commit himself to a timetable for handing over power to an interim Iraqi authority.
His predecessor, Jay Garner, had said the nucleus of such an authority would emerge this month. That now looks too optimistic.
The Americans fear that if they rush to empower a group of "emerging leaders", this might produce a weak and unstable government.
But if they govern the country themselves - and control its oil and its oil revenues - they risk being increasingly resented as a new colonial power.
Story from BBC NEWS:
Published: 2003/05/19 11:46:37 GMT
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