UN Big-5's talks on Iraq inconclusive

French Foreign Minister Dominique De Villepin (L) poses with his US counterpart, Clayton Powell (C), and United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan (R) after a press conference, winding up an emergency meeting on Iraq by the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council in Geneva Saturday. Photo: AFP

Powell is the highest ranking US official to visit Iraq since US-led forces overthrew the government of President Saddam Hussein in April. He flew in from neighbouring Kuwait on a US military aircraft and was met at the airport by Paul Bremer, head of the US-led administration in Iraq.

Powell will meet the Iraqi politicians on whom the United States is pinning its hopes for a peaceful transition so that Washington can start cutting the high costs of the occupation.

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"In Iraq, he will meet with Iraqis and with members of the Coalition Provisional Authority in order to see first hand the progress being made by the international community and by the Iraqi people in rebuilding their nation," a State Department spokesman said on Saturday, announcing the visit.

With US-led forces in Iraq taking casualties almost every day and the cost of occupation mounting, Washington sees a new UN resolution it has drafted as a way to coax other countries to pitch in with cash and troops.

But there was no consensus on the resolution after Powell's talks in Geneva on Saturday with foreign ministers of the other permanent members of the United Nations Security Council Britain, China, France and Russia.

France and the United States are poles apart on how quickly power should be returned to the Iraqi people.

Powell outranks Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, until now the highest ranking US official to have visited Baghdad since the fall of Saddam.

AP adds: Secretary of State Colin Powell said Saturday the five veto-wielding members of the UN Security Council narrowed their differences on a new Iraq resolution and he was "encouraged" by the progress.

But he also made it plain there still were big gaps with France on how and when to give Iraqis responsibility to govern. Powell arrived in Kuwait early Sunday and will soon be headed to Iraq - where he will become the highest-ranking American official to visit the country since the war.

Speaking after talks in Geneva mediated by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, Powell said he hoped there would be an additional convergence of views in negotiations resuming next week in New York, where world leaders will gather for the UN General Assembly later this month.