Iraqi press hails transfer of power as historic

"Monday was an historic day for the Iraqis," said the An-Nahda newspaper, owned by Adnan Pachachi, a Sunni Muslim member of the former governing council that was dissolved on June 1 to make way for the caretaker government.

The Al-Bayan daily -- linked to the Shia Muslim Dawa party whose chief, Ibrahim al-Jaffari, is a vice president in the new administration -- heralded an "historic day", before adding the caveat: "Iraq refuses any sort of occupation."

Despite the end of the US-led occupation, a strong foreign military presence of around 150,000, mainly US soldiers, will remain in Iraq to help control the security situation.

"Congratulations to the Iraqi people who have regained their sovereignty... an important stage before the end of the occupation," wrote the Al-Adala daily, published by the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), another Shia party.

At the same time, Al-Moutamar, which belongs to one-time Pentagon favourite Ahmed Chalabi, the head of the Iraqi National Congress, was happy to "congratulate the Iraqis for their return to sovereignty."

While the Al-Sabah newspaper, funded by the defunct coalition provisional authority, said "farewell to the occupation and welcome to sovereignty," dailies run by Iraq's Kurdish parties were also upbeat about the future.

"The difficulties are enormous but Iraqis have the capacity... to build a prosperous, federal Iraq," wrote the Al-Ittihad, which is associated with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).

"The upheaval suffered by the Iraqis under the occupation will, despite the negative aspects, reflect positively on the future of the country," predicted the Al-Taakhi, owned by the rival Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).