The United States handed over control of the Green Zone and Saddam Hussein's presidential palace to Iraqi authorities on Thursday in a ceremonial move described by the Iraqi prime minister as a restoration of his country's sovereignty. At a ceremony marking the transition, Nouri al-Maliki said he will propose Jan. 1 be declared a national holiday to commemorate what he called "Sovereignty Day".
The area that became known as the Green Zone on the west bank of the Tigris River was occupied by the United States shortly after the 2003 U.S. invasion and walled off from the rest of the city.
Until Wednesday, Saddam's former palace formally served as the U.S. Embassy and headquarters of the U.S military in Iraq. Thursday's palace handover was mostly ceremonial, as most U.S. diplomats and military officials long since moved to a new embassy building on the other side of the Green Zone. "This palace is the symbol of Iraqi sovereignty and by restoring it, a real message is directed to all Iraqi people that Iraqi sovereignty has returned to its natural status," al-Maliki conveyed, according to the AP.
"We have the right to be proud and to be happy and to hold celebrations these days, especially on this day," said al-Maliki, adding he would submit his national holiday proposal to the cabinet. "This day is to be remembered and we have the right to consider it a national day."
The 4-square-mile area along the Tigris is separated from the city by a 13 foot high wall of reinforced concrete, dotted with watch towers and machine gun nests.
Restricted to U.S. and Coalition personnel, several other embassies, Iraqi ministries and parliament, it was considered the most potent and visible sign of American occupation and had often come under insurgent attacks.
Meanwhile, violence continued Thursday in northern Iraq. In the city of Mosul a parked truck bomb killed three police officers trying to search it and wounded a bystander.
In the city of Kirkuk, also north of Baghdad, Iraqi and U.S. troops killed three suspected al-Qaeda gunmen during a raid, police said.
