Iolo in Iraqi confusion

Iolo ap Dafydd BBC Wales correspondent

A new American administrator in Baghdad, Paul Bremer is the best indication yet that US armed force control of the Iraqi capital is far from smooth.

His arrival this week coincided with four top American officials leaving Baghdad early, and sparked a debate on how long it would be until former US General Jay Garner will follow them back to Washington.

Paul Bremner is the new US administrator in Baghdad

While US troops, their tanks and armour are visual on Baghdad's streets - especially in front of key municipal and government buildings - many Iraqis feel less secure now than before the war.

It seems security is the greatest threat to the rebuilding of a peaceful, stable and prosperous Iraq.

To do that, a new government has to be put in place.

The Americans are still assessing likely candidates for an interim government.

Of an Iraqi council of nine currently being constructed to rule, most will be Western-influenced Iraqis who were exiled by Saddam Hussein's regime.

In the meantime, religious leaders have stepped into the political vacuum after years of oppression under Saddam's secular Baa'th party rule.

Muslims are split into various factions - the two main groups are Sunni and Shia.

The Shia follow the same Islamic teachings as Iran while the Sunni Muslims - who make up around 30% of Iraq's population, are closer to other Middle Eastern Arab states.

In Iraq, the Shia number about 60% of the 25m population.

Failed promises

Earlier this week, Ayatollah Mohammed Baqr al-Hakim - who was exiled in Iran - returned to his hometown of Najaf for the first time in 23 years.

He is the leader of the largest Shia group and declared that he would like to see a democratically elected government in Iraq.

US forces are still prominent in Iraq

He would prefer the Americans to leave, as would Sheik Dr Mahmoud Khalaf al-Eisawi of the al-Gilani mosque.

He told me: "The US have made many promises about law and order, changing Iraq's regime and the future rule of Iraq.

"So far these promises haven't been lived up to - the sooner the Americans left the better."

Other more secular Iraqis disagree.

They are alarmed at the idea of Iraq becoming an Islamic state and they rue the chaos in Baghdad, but want US troops to set up better security operations.

And now with recent developments - including the discovery of mass graves such as Mahawil, near Hilla, more and more questions will be asked about the significance of fields containing thousands of massacred people.

Can the evidence of mass murder be collected and recorded scientifically?

Will US troops be able to set up a security cordon around such sensitive sites?

And more importantly, can the former regime's henchmen - especially Saddam Hussein's inner circle - be brought to a fair trial?