SOVEREIGNTY HANDED OVER --- Iraq's senior judge Midhat Mahmoud and Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi accept legal documents June 28 from U.S. Administrator L. Paul Bremer in Baghdad. The U.S. Coalition Provisional Authority transferred sovereignty to an interim Iraqi government two days earlier than planned. Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo, assistant secretary of state at the Vatican, said the success of the Iraqi government will depend on its ability to ensure political freedom, restore basic services and crack down on "cowardly acts" of terrorism.

Photo: REUTERS