UN's Iraq envoy criticises US

De Mello, left, with Kofi Annan, sees opportunities

The United Nations special representative to Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello, has said America has shown a lack of clarity in advancing the political process in Iraq.

Mr de Mello, who will go to Baghdad in the next few days, said he will use his new position to influence the British and American authorities in Iraq "in the right direction".

He said power should be devolved to the Iraqis as quickly as possible.

Mr de Mello was chosen by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to be his representative in Iraq after the Security Council passed a resolution creating the post, while handing widespread powers to the occupying forces.

US 'failings'

In an interview with the BBC's World Service Newshour programme, Mr de Mello said he was prepared to criticise the occupying powers.

The resolution calls the coalition the Authority, but that doesn't mean I won't have some power

Sergio Vieira de Mello

He said America had shown a "lack of clarity as to how to move the political process forward, how to restore law and order".

Mr de Mello said that while the UN resolution how left his powers vague, there was now an opportunity to come up with a better definition of the role of the UN in Iraq.

"The [UN] resolution calls the coalition the Authority with a capital 'A' but that doesn't mean I won't have some power in terms of influencing the Authority," he said.

Law and order

Mr de Mello said the most important task now was to restore law and order in Iraq, "to demonstrate to the population that things are indeed beginning to change".

He said this was "a precondition for everything else to actually work".

The UN had wide experience in this area, he said, adding: "Soldiers are not the best policemen."

The BBC's Suzy Price at the United Nations says the French, Russians and other opponents of the war want the UN to play an important role in post-conflict Iraq as a counterweight to the occupying powers.