Bush declares end of combat; London groups for Iraqi conference; Rumsfeld in Baghdad after 20 years

US secretary of defense Donald Rumsfeld entered yesterday into Baghdad to inspect the situation and promised Iraqis freedom, at a time when the American forces were shooting Iraqis who were demonstrating in protest of a massacre committed by the Americans in al-Falouja town several days earlier.

Rumsfeld's visit was not his first despite the different conditions. He had visited Baghdad for the last time in 1983 where he met secretly with the former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in a step which was the main impetus behind improving the American- Iraqi relations at the time especially in confrontation of Iran.

Rumsfeld announced that the Iraqis have become free from the "fist of a brutal regime," stressing that the "coalition does not want to own Iraq nor to rule it," rather will leave this matter for the Iraqis without explaining when the occupation forces intend to withdraw from the country nor how to transfer the authorities to the Iraqis will take place.

Meantime, leaders of the main Iraqi groups who formed a joint council several months ago in London, the Higher Council For the Islamic Revolution, the Iraqi National Congress, the Kurdistani National Party, the Kurdistani Democratic Party, the National Reconciliation Movement, said meeting in Baghdad aimed at preparing for a national congress of which an Iraqi government will be stemmed and this will be, according to its organizers by twisting on the American move to form an interim government that runs the country in preparation to agree on a final government system.

Meantime, the White House announced yesterday that the US President George Bush will announce today the end of combats in Iraq.

The White House said that Bush will announce in the speech that the military combat phase is over. American officials said that Bush will not declare on this occasion the victory of the USA in Iraq.