By Andrew Marshall
UMM QASR, Iraq (Reuters) - British troops formally handed over control on Thursday of the first Iraqi town to a civilian authority since a U.S.-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein's government.
Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Jones, commander of 23 Pioneer Regiment and former military governor of Umm Qasr was at the formal ceremony to hand over rule to a council of 12 Iraqis, who will govern the town next to Iraq's only deep water port.
"The people of Umm Qasr are now in charge of their own destiny, for the first time in 35 years or longer," Jones said.
The current members of the council which will run this dusty town of 45,000 people close to the Kuwait border in southern Iraq are volunteers, including local professionals and clerics. But elections will be held in a week to appoint a new council.
Around 200 British troops are in Umm Qasr but most will leave within days, Jones said. About 30 will remain in the town to help maintain security and liaise with the Iraqi council.
Town councils have been set up in several places in Iraq, but Umm Qasr is the first town where a council has taken over overall charge from U.S. or British troops. It is also significant because the port is southern and central Iraq's main entrance for food, aid and trade and an exit point for oil.
Many Iraqis in Umm Qasr are still full of complaints, saying drinking water is scarce and security is inadequate.
"Nothing is available," said 35-year-old Hussein Moharab, a farmer. "The market is full of unemployed people. We need security, water and food."
Some Iraqis in the town's market said the local council had been ineffectual so far. Others accused council members of using their position for personal profit.
Protests caused the interim council to resign earlier this month but most members later returned.
The difficulties faced by the British in setting up a local government in Umm Qasr, a small and relatively homogenous town, illustrate the problems that lie ahead as U.S. and British forces try to return power to Iraqis.
"We are doing what we can but I do not have a magic wand," said Najim Abed Mahdi, 53, a supervisor of English teaching who was appointed chairman of the interim town council which will run Umm Qasr until the elections next week.
"This is the first attempt for us to run our town by ourselves," he said. "We are ready to rebuild our town, and we are ready to rebuild our country."
Jones said British forces had restored power, water and basic services in Umm Qasr and the time was right to hand over to a civilian local government.
He said that while the local economy had yet to recover, the port would provide employment and income and help Umm Qasr recover from the war and the chaos that followed it.
"This is a town that is working," he said.