Arab governments close to the United States welcomed the transfer of limited authority to the Iraqi government yesterday but Arab analysts and ordinary citizens said they doubted Iraqis would really run the country.
Egyptian Foreign Minister, Mr Ahmed Maher, said giving authority to Iraqis would make it easier to restore stability in Iraq, where conflict has raged since the US invasion in March 2003.
"That's what Egypt desires for the Iraqi people, to provide an opportunity for them to take control of their own affairs and restore complete sovereignty," Mr Maher said.
The Saudi cabinet, in a meeting headed by King Fahd, welcomed the move. "We are pleased about the transfer of power in Iraq so that Iraq may regain its sovereignty and to pave the way to rebuild the country," said a statement on state media.
Kuwait, occupied by Iraq in 1990-91, said the transfer marked the "start of a new era".
Outgoing US civilian administrator, Mr Paul Bremer, ceded limited authority at the ceremony to the Iraqi President, Mr Ghazi al-Yawar, and Prime Minister, Mr Iyad Allawi.
The 22-member Arab League was more cautious, saying it hoped the transfer was a step towards the restoration of sovereignty. "All we want is ... that the Iraqi government is able to exercise its sovereignty and authority in a way that acquires credibility," the secretary-general, Mr Amr Moussa said.
But Arab analysts, politicians and citizens cast doubt on the significance of the transfer, which leaves more than 160,000 foreign troops in Iraq outside the control of the government.
The analysts said they expec- ted most Arab governments would maintain their "wait and see" attitude towards the Iraqi government, withholding full diplomatic recognition for now.
Mr Maher, asked if it was time for full diplomatic ties, said: "This is a subject which is not under discussion now."
Mr Hassan Nafaa, chairman of the political science department at Cairo University, said the conflict was unlikely to end as long as foreign forces were present. "The Iraqi people are not easily duped," he said.
Mr Mustafa al-Sayyid, a professor of political science at the university, said: "It's not really a genuine transfer, with this heavy American military and civilian presence and with a low requirement that American troops get authorisation before taking any military action." The US and the Iraqi government have portrayed the transfer as a decisive step towards putting Iraqis back in charge of their country after 14 months of occupation.
But Arabs outside Iraq, who mostly opposed the invasion, suspect Washington wants to retain its influence over Baghdad while giving the impression that Iraqis are fully in control. Ordinary Egyptians, most of whom distrust the US because of its Middle East policies, were also sceptical.