Bremer fires chairman of Baghdad's police

The US administration of Iraq, Paul Bremer, said that the chairman of police in west Baghdad, Abdul Razzaq al-Abbasi, was fired because of his membership in the Baath Party.

The Voice of America radio said that al-Abbasi was fired despite the cooperation he showed with the coalition forces as he helped in returning back the police forces to work after the collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime.

Bremer had prevented senior members of the Baath Party from working in governmental posts especially security ones and appointed Iraqi consultants for him with the aim to dismantle the party and uprooting it from the political life.

Bremer also expressed his readiness, whenever necessary to give orders to confiscate assets of the Baath party which were stolen from the Iraqi people. He said he will make a survey for the property of the party. He also announced he will ask the Iraqis as from the beginning of June to surrender their weapons or their licenses, noting that a progress is made to halt illegal arms deals in Iraq.