We are told the handover of sovereignty by the Coalition forces to the newly-appointed, independent Iraqi interim administration will mark a historic event in the process of the democratisation of Iraq.

This is what we are expected to believe. When we consider the actions of the US government in Iraq, it becomes impossible to take their stated intentions about the handover seriously.

America is planning and building 14 major military bases throughout Iraq. The US embassy in Baghdad will be the largest on Earth. It will hold the record for the highest concentration of US civilians in a single building outside mainland USA.

The newly-appointed US ambassador to Iraq is none other than John Negroponte, whose shameful record on the abuse of civil liberties during his tour of duty in Central America will be familiar to anyone with an interest in human rights.

These are not the actions of a government that intends to hand over power to the Iraqi people.

The US has been widely criticised for having no exit strategy in Iraq but that has been precisely their strategy all along - no exit. Iraq is too important strategically, politically and economically to the US for it ever to consider relinquishing power there other than to a puppet regime with the US pulling all the strings.

The string-pulling has already been evident in the appointment of the interim administration. The convicted fraudster Ahmed Chalabi, for a long time the US's prime minister-in-waiting, was dropped as soon as he called for the withdrawal of Coalition forces; the UN envoy Lakhar Brahami, whose job it was to choose a successor, was effectively side-tracked by the "dictator" Paul Bremmer, and admitted as much himself; and the new US favourite Iyad Allawi, an old CIA hand and the transmitter of the now-notorious 45-minute WMD intelligence, was duly selected to serve as prime minister.

The way the appointment of Mr Allawi was managed is a clear indication of what a sham this so-called handover will be.

The only handover of power that will make any sense will be the withdrawal of all Coalition forces from Iraq. The people of Iraq are making their wishes known in each opinion poll conducted and in their daily resistance to the illegal occupation. British and American troops cannot be part of the solution, because their presence in Iraq is now the problem.

This is why RESPECT, in solidarity with the people of Iraq, is calling for an end to this charade and the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of the occupying forces from Iraq.

-Paddy O'Keeffe, Brighton and Hove RESPECT