The new German foreign minister, Joschka Fischer, has held his first meeting with the United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, in New York -- with Mr Fischer stressing the need for Iraq to comply fully with UN resolutions.

A UN statement said the two men had also discussed Security Council reform, the need to reduce the burden of highly-indebted countries, and contributions owed to the UN.

Earlier, Mr Fischer had held talks in Washington with the American Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright: the discussions focused on Iraq.