GCC applauds Iraq handover

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, June 29 (UPI) -- The six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council Tuesday applauded the transfer of power in Iraq as an important step in the right direction

The Riyadh-based GCC Secretariat General said in a statement: "It is an important step in the right direction for building a united Iraq where the brotherly Iraqi people would enjoy security and stability."

The statement expressed confidence in the Iraqi government's ability to surmount difficult conditions through which the country is passing by consolidating national unity.

The U.S.-led coalition authority in Iraq transferred power to interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's government Monday, two days ahead of schedule.