US, France at odds over Iraq as UN 'Big-5' meet

Annan faces the delicate task of uniting the veto-wielding powers -- the United States and Britain on one side, and China, France and Russia on the other -- on how to restore Iraqi sovereignty and on the role the United Nations should play in the process.

The ministers and the UN chief will discuss a US-drafted Security Council resolution on Iraq, which seeks to create a UN-mandated multinational force under US command and share out the financial burden of Iraq's reconstruction.

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But shortly before arriving in Geneva, US Secretary of State Colin Powell threw cold water on proposals for Iraq put forward by French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin, calling them "totally unrealistic".

After sidelining the United Nations when it invaded Iraq to topple Saddam Hussein, Washington is now looking for support from the world body as it faces daily attacks on US troops and mounting instability in the oil-rich state.

US President George W. Bush on Friday appealed for international assistance in the postwar effort, saying Powell would "carry a message: No free nation can be neutral in the fight between civilization and chaos."

Washington is looking for the international community to send more troops and more cash, and in exchange is willing to offer the UN an increased -- but not predominant -- political role in Iraq.

"We can't be expected to just step aside," Powell said in an interview with French television before leaving for Geneva.

The five powers all agree on the concept that Washington should retain military control over forces in Iraq, at least in the short term, but are far apart on plans for the country's political future.

Washington's proposed text endorses the US-appointed Iraqi Governing Council, which is tasked with setting a program for drafting a constitution and organizing democratic elections.

France, backed by Russia and China as well as non-permanent Council member Germany, is leading the charge for the United Nations to take over primary responsibility for overseeing Iraq's political transition to self-rule.

De Villepin warned Friday that the US draft text offers "limited progress in the role handed to the UN," calling for a quick transfer of power to the Iraqis and general elections by next spring.

In a briefing to reporters travelling with him, Powell countered: "It's easy to toss out nice theories about sovereignty and occupation, liberation and all that, but as a practical matter it can't happen in that timeframe."

"We will see if there is not a language that can bridge this. But I cannot anticipate us agreeing to any language that would buy into what Mr de Villepin has been saying," he added.

Both Paris and Moscow -- which along with Berlin spearheaded the anti-war camp in the United Nations, prompting Washington and London to go it alone against Saddam -- have proposed amendments to the US-proposed resolution.

But diplomats insisted that Saturday's meeting was about finding common ground and drafting an outline for future action, rather than negotiating specific aspects of the draft resolution.