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It was a big day on June 28, 2004, when a secret five-minute power handover ceremony was held under tense security measures in Baghdad.
No more than six people knew about it before the news broke to the world that the handover was done. It was the highly confidential ceremony of transferring power from the occupation authorities to the Iraqi interim government headed by Iyad Allawi.
Although the iron-fisted Allawi promised to curb violence after the handover, insurgents have proved themselves to be diehards.
Outraged by an agreement between the US and Iraqi interim government that gave the US forces the right to stay in Iraq for unlimited time, insurgents have vowed to fight a jihad war relentlessly against occupation forces, making it unpredictable when the US-Iraqi forces can stamp out the violence.
Few people expect things will change after the power handover.
However, the Allawi government did its best to achieve some accomplishments, especially in security matter in preparations for the country's January 30 elections, which would pave the way for such steps as forming National Assembly, the transitional government and the writing of a permanent constitution.
It also succeeded to gain promises from the international community to grant Iraq up to US$30 billion along with promises to write off as much debts as possible which will paralyze the Iraqi economy for decades if they remain.
The most important mission for Allawi's government was rebuilding Iraqi army and police forces, although they are sometimes out-maneuvered by militants and frequently under attack by insurgents who have attempted to cripple the Shiite-dominated government since its formation in late April.
All done by the Iraqi government was not enough for some, and the real sovereignty is still a controversial issue among Iraqis, who have kept asking when the occupation can be a chapter in history.
Saber Hussein, 25, a civil worker, turned emotional when it comes to the sovereignty and handover thing.
"What kind of sovereignty are you talking about? The US forces are wandering in our streets, killing and capturing people with or without reason. They do everything."
Nasseer Aaiyf al-Aani, a member of the influential Iraqi Islamic Party, shared Hussein's sentiment, saying "I am sorry to see that after a year of power handover, the US authorities are controlling the country completely."
As the American people have started to realize the real price they have paid for toppling Saddam's regime and bring democracy for Iraq, people in Baghdad, Fallujah and Mosul are taking the brunt of a bloody war for which they see no end.
Over 1,730 US soldiers have been killed in Iraq since the US-led invasion in March 2003, according to media tally, while nobody can actually give a count on the Iraqi casualties.
More than 1,200 people have been killed across Iraq since the Shiite-dominated government was formed in late April.
Considering this blood-tainted democracy too much for both US and Iraqi sides to take, the US officials were involved in secret talks with Iraqi insurgents aimed at seeking an eventual breakthrough that might reduce the violence in Iraq, British newspaper The Sunday Times reported lately.
Twenty-four-year-old Umer Abdullah, a university student, sounded a rather optimistic note for the future of Iraq, saying "the situation is different from the handover as we have our own police and army who will protect our sovereignty after the US withdrawal from our country ... We have to be patient."
But patience has been wearing thin among Iraqis who see electricity is off more often than it is on and see only hot air comes out taps in Baghdad's sizzling summer.
"For me I see the sovereignty means to provide public services which help us live peacefully, but we have a crises in almost everything," Um Zaineb shed her light on sovereignty, adding, "I believe that we are without sovereignty because the government cannot provide anything for us."
(Xinhua News Agency June 29, 2005)
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