BAGHDAD, Nov 1: US overseer in Iraq Paul Bremer pledged on Saturday that the US-led administration planned to speed up the handover of political and security powers to Iraqis.

The US civil administrator reiterated the Americans would bring Saddam to justice, but played down reports that the toppled strongman was behind the resistance plaguing the US forces and Iraqis.

“We believe that Saddam is alive, is in Iraq, and his capture or his killing is our top priority,” Mr Bremer told reporters.

“We still have no clear indication if Saddam himself is behind these attacks.”

Mr Bremer also vowed the administration would stand firm and not abandon Iraq in the face of the mounting violence against civilians and the rising number of US soldiers killed in action.

The US boss in Iraq declared his forces wanted to kill or capture Saddam Hussein as the occupation forces continued to scour the countryside for the former president, with a 25-million-dollar price on his head.

“We will seek ways to accelerate the transfer of authority to the government of Iraq,” Mr Bremer told his first press conference in Baghdad since a suicide bombing spree claimed the lives of 43 people and wounded more than 200 on Monday.

“The coalition is still going to turn sovereignty to the Iraqi people as quickly as practicable,” he said.

US officials and the UN Security Council have called on the country’s interim Governing Council to set a timeframe by mid-December for the drafting of a constitution and the holding of national elections, clearing the way for Iraqi sovereignty.

Mr Bremer also pledged to speed up “economic reconstruction” of Iraq.

He added the US-led administration would expedite the training of Iraqi security forces, in the campaign to root out Saddam loyalists and foreign fighters.

“On the security front we will accelerate the turnover of responsibility and authority to Iraqis,” Mr Bremer said, adding: “It is essential that they take an essential role in their own defence. This is after all their country, it is their future.”

Mr Bremer promised to “double the size of the Iraqi civil defence corps by March” and to complete the core training of the Iraqi army and a professional Iraqi police force in one year, instead of the two years as initially planned.

“We will expand the number of Iraqis engaged in guarding the country’s borders and infrastructure. In all, we will have over 200,000 Iraqis involved in their own security forces by September next year,” he said.—AFP