Jay Garner Arrives in Baghdad for the First Time Since the Capture of the City

Jay Garner, a retired American general who is set to oversee the interim government of Iraq and supervise the massive reconstruction efforts in the country, arrived in the capital of Iraq today for the first time since the American forces captured Baghdad. Mr. Garner, who traveled from Kuwait to Baghdad, told reporters at the airport that his top priority is to quickly restore essential services such as electricity and water. Meanwhile, hundreds of Iraqi Shiites demonstrated today in front of the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad, expressing their opposition to what they called the occupation of Iraq by the United States and accusing American soldiers of detaining one of their leaders. In the meantime, the U.S. Central Command announced that coalition forces have arrested the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research from Saddam Hussein's government. The command also stated that members of the Iraqi National Congress, a coalition of anti-Saddam groups, have detained Saddam's son-in-law, who was a close advisor to the ousted leader, and will hand him over to coalition forces.