Burns in Tikrit

US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs William Joseph Burns yesterday arrived in Tikrit, the main center for the partisans of the former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, where the American forces are establishing a base for its operations in the area.

It is presumed that Burns will be briefed by the American forces on recent developments concerning chasing of Saddam Hussein and "difficulties" facing the American military men in the region.

The American military spokesman Maj. Robert Ezabilla said that Burns met with the US military troops who are deployed in Tikrit and then headed to the center of Tikrit governorate and to Al-Auja, the birthplace of the former Iraqi President, where effective chieftains of Saddam Hussein's tribe are living.