BAGHDAD, Iraq – Two years after the fall of Saddam Hussein, Iraqi legislators were sworn in yesterday as members of the 275-seat National Assembly, vowing to uphold freedom and democracy. But before taking their oath, they had to endure mortar barrages and wailing air raid sirens as insurgents made their presence felt.

The deputies failed to set a date to reconvene, did not elect a speaker or even nominate a president and vice president – all of which they had hoped to do. Instead, the session was spent celebrating the moment, and the enormous obstacles Iraq has overcome.

“This day marks a new birth for all Iraqis. It marks the birth of the parliament,” said Ibrahim al-Jaafari, a Shiite politician and the man expected to be Iraq’s next prime minister.

President Bush called the session a “bright moment” for Iraq, but added there was no timetable for withdrawing American troops. “We’ve always said this is a process, and today was a step in that process. It’s a hopeful moment,” Mr. Bush said in Washington.

An American soldier died in a roadside bomb blast south of Baghdad, the military said, while a car bomb northeast of the capital killed four Iraqis and injured 15.

While it was a historic day for Iraqi democracy, yesterday also served as a reminder of a scarred past – the 17th anniversary of a chemical attack that Saddam ordered on the northern Kurdish town of Halabja.

“This day coincides with a painful memory that has many meanings. On this day in 1988, former regime planes bombed Halabja and martyred 5,000 people,” said Fuad Masoum, a Kurdish delegate. “Today, on this occasion, we celebrate the inauguration of parliament after the fall of this regime.”

Many of the new deputies wore traditional robes trimmed in gold, and mingled with austere Shiite clerics in black robes and turbans. Men thought to be pegged for government jobs mostly wore tan or gray suits, while nearly all the 85 women lawmakers wore headscarves.

Although yesterday could have been a day of celebration on Baghdad’s streets, many were devoid of traffic – blocked off by security forces fearing suicide attacks and car bombs. Traffic restrictions also kept many people away from work. So Iraqis instead gathered in homes to watch the ceremony live on state-run TV and Arab satellite channels.