Iraq handover too slow - France

Dominique De Villepin: This is an extremely urgent situation

French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin has urged that power be handed over to a provisional Iraqi government by the end of the year.

Mr de Villepin said the June 2004 date favoured by the US was "too late".

"We need to move faster. This is an extremely urgent situation," he told French newspaper La Croix.

He proposed creating an assembly of members of existing bodies and other "forces" that would elect a government by the end of this year.

Representative assembly

"In Baghdad, we already have a temporary governing council, a constitutional committee, a council of ministers. Each counts 25 members," Mr de Villepin said in the interview, to be published on Monday.

In Baghdad, we already have a temporary governing council, a constitutional committee, a council of ministers. Dominique de Villepin

"We could, for example, bring these people together, add other forces and create a representative assembly that would elect a transitional government of about 15 members. All of this could be done by the end of the year."

Mr de Villepin, who was instrumental in blocking a US bid to gain United Nations backing for the Iraq war last spring, said drafting a constitution would take longer.

Security in Iraq continues to challenge occupying forces

Under US-backed plans unveiled on Saturday, a constitution would be written and elections held by the end of 2005, but a sovereign transitional government would be up and running before that.

Meetings in each of Iraq's 18 provinces would select a transitional assembly, which would then pick a government.

US President George Bush called the blueprint "an important step toward realising the vision of Iraq as a democratic, pluralistic country".