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At a glance

Hussein-era flag remains

Saddam Hussein is gone, but his flag flies on. The green, red, white and black banner, with the words "God is great" added by Hussein in the 1990s, fluttered Monday over government buildings. A proposed new flag approved by the U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council was harshly criticized on the grounds that it ignored the country's Islamic and Arab character and looked too much like the Israeli flag. Although the new flag was never formally withdrawn, a bank of the Hussein-era flags, one for each of Iraq's 18 provinces, served as the backdrop in a conference room where ministers of the new government took the oath of office Monday.

With Iraqi sovereignty restored, the State Department will assume the dominant role in shaping Bush administration policy on Iraq. Until now, the Pentagon has taken the lead, but with John D. Negroponte arriving in Baghdad to take over as U.S. ambassador, "We will be the dominant voice," said Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage. U.S. plans call for an embassy that probably will be the largest in the world, with some 1,000 Americans assisted by hundreds of Iraqis. Negroponte, 63, was previously the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. A 40-year member of the U.S. Foreign Service, Negroponte was an adviser to Secretary of State Henry Kissinger during the Vietnam War peace talks in Paris in 1968-69. He went on to serve as U.S. ambassador in Mexico, the Philippines and, during the Reagan administration, Honduras. In the latter post, critics accused Negroponte of ignoring human rights abuses by Honduras' military regime.

Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry said Monday that adequate security is vital to a successful transfer of power in Iraq as he reiterated his call for President Bush to seek help from other nations. Kerry said it is critical that the president get support from allies, "not resolutions, not words, but real support of sufficient personnel, troops and money to assist in the training of security forces." As he began a day of campaigning in Baltimore, Kerry told reporters, "We must have security on the ground in order to be able to proceed forward with the reconstruction and the political transformation. It is vital to do the hard work and statesmanship and diplomacy necessary to get that."

The next steps in Iraq's transition to democracy:

2004

July: Conference of prominent Iraqis chooses Interim National Council to advise interim government.

September: Voter registration begins.

2005

By Jan. 31: Elections for Transitional Government.

Winter/spring: Constitutional convention convenes to draw up permanent charter.

October: Referendum on ratification of proposed constitution.

December: Elections to select constitutionally based government.