They converged on the Palestine Hotel where US officers and journalists are housed after foreign radio stations broadcast a call for qualified people to come forward.

Among them were a first group of seven Iraqi police officers led by a colonel.

Colonel Ahmad Abdulrazzak Said wore his olive green uniform and was accompanied by six other officers in civilian dress.

US Marines searched him at length at the entrance.

"Who is it? Where is he coming from?" a young soldier asked.

The colonel showed his identity card and introduced himself in Arabic, as a military interpreter from Kuwait translated his replies to the marines from behind a pair of trendy sunglasses.

The colonel put his police beret back on and mustering as much dignity as he could, with a US Marines' hand on his neck, told reporters he had come with colleagues to help end the looting which has plagued Baghdad since US forces took control of the capital on Wednesday.

"Why did you come in uniform?" one of the other policemen asked the senior officer. "It is more dignified, I came here to do my job," Said replied.

The Iraqi policemen filed into the hotel's conference room along with US officials and representatives of non-governmental organisations such as Doctors without Borders.

Public services, in particular water and electricity, have been out in the capital for many days.

Other Iraqis also converged on the city centre hotel requesting to be able to use journalists' satellite phones to call their relatives abroad after the collapse of communications facilities.

Telephone exchanges were among the targets of US-British bombers which began blasting away at the infrastructure on March 20.

The rush outside the hotel caused the first traffic jam in three weeks amid a din of honking car horns on al-Fardus square, adding an air of normal times to the capital which plunged into anarchy after the collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime.

Traffic appeared to be returning across the city, but any flow was slowed by checkpoints set up by US forces and also the curiosity of drivers who like to inspect the troops in full combat gear beside their armoured vehicles.

SPACE.WIRE