Bremer resigns from chemical firm's board

Dutch chemical and drug maker Akzo Nobel said today that Paul Bremer, the new US civilian administrator in Iraq, had resigned from its supervisory board because of US rules on conflicts of interest.

The company said Bremer had been on its supervisory board since 1997.

President George Bush named Bremer, 61, as the administrator of Iraq last week to replace retired US army Lieutenant General Jay Garner.

Bremer is a former State Department official and was an ambassador to the Netherlands.

Akzo, based in Arnhem, is the world’s largest maker of paint, one of the world’s leading chemical makers and a major salt producer.