Transfer 'does not affect troops'

Rumsfeld insists US soldiers in Iraq are not going anywhere

The handover of power to an Iraqi government will not affect the United States' military presence in the country, the US defence secretary says.

Donald Rumsfeld said a new timetable announced on Saturday related "to the governance aspect of the country and not to the security aspect".

The US-appointed Iraqi Governing Council said a sovereign transitional government would be in place by June.

Some members say the new authority will decide then if US forces should remain.

This (timetable) has nothing to do with US troops and coalition troops in Iraq Donald Rumsfeld US Defence Secretary

"There are no changes in the security situation. We are on the map we were on last week, last month. This has nothing to do with US troops in Iraq," Mr Rumsfeld said, speaking during an Asian tour, en route to a US Air Force base in southern Japan.

"We're working to bring in additional coalition forces, we're making plans for the rotation of our forces out and new US and coalition forces in," he added.

Accelerating the political process would not affect military planning, he said.

"This has nothing to do with US troops and coalition troops in Iraq."

Towards elections

In Washington, Mr Bush welcomed the new timetable as "an important step", adding that it was essential to bringing democracy to Iraq.

"The US stands ready to help the Governing Council and all Iraqis translate this new timeline into political reality," he said.

The new timetable was announced after Iraqi leaders met the US chief administrator for Iraq Paul Bremer.

The presence of the forces of the United States and other countries will be discussed by the transitional government, Jalal Talabani Iraqi Governing Council

In June a transitional body - chosen by an assembly of Iraqis from different parts of society - is to be sworn in.

This assembly will draft a new constitution to lead to a fully elected government by the end of 2005.

"The presence of the forces of the United States and other countries will be discussed by the transitional government," said Jalal Talabani, current chair of the Iraqi Governing Council.

"If we need them to stay, we will ask them to stay. If we don't, we will respectfully ask them to leave."

Black Hawks down

The announcement comes in the context of daily attacks on coalition troops, which continued on Saturday.

New handover timetable May 2004 - Formation of transitional assembly June 2004 - Election of interim government End of 2005 - Election of new government

Seventeen coalition troops were killed and five injured after two US Black Hawk helicopters came down in the northern city of Mosul.

Unconfirmed reports suggested one helicopter had been hit by a rocket-propelled grenade.

Earlier, one American soldier was killed and two wounded by a roadside bomb in the centre of Baghdad.