US and UN discuss Iraq's future

By Susannah Price BBC UN correspondent

A senior UN adviser, Lakhdar Brahimi, has held talks on Iraq with top American officials in Washington.

Mr Brahimi's talks on the UN's role in Iraq involved, among others, Secretary of State Colin Powell and National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice.

There is growing opposition to the US-led coalition's plans to set up a transitional government in Iraq without a general election.

This appears to have led Washington to seek more UN involvement.

There were few details about the talks. One American official said they had discussed the way forward.

Mr Brahimi, the former envoy in Afghanistan, is the UN Secretary General's adviser on peace and security.

The UN is weighing its role in Iraq

The Americans are looking for advice in drawing up an acceptable plan for the return to self-rule in Iraq.

There has been widespread opposition, particularly among the majority Shia community, for the coalition plans to hold caucus meetings to choose an assembly which would then select a government.

The Shias believe they may not be properly represented without a general election but the Americans say there is not enough time to organise one.

On Monday the UN Secretary General was asked by the US administrator in Iraq, Paul Bremer, and members of the Iraqi Governing Council to send a team to advise on whether general elections could be held or what alternatives might exist.

The UN is sending a team to assess security in Iraq in the next few days and the election experts might follow.

However, time is running out. All sides do agree that the handover of power must take place by July the first.