New York: Refusal of countries, including India, France and Germany to contribute troops for stabilisation force in Iraq, rising cost of war and daily killings of American soldiers, are slowly forcing the Bush administration back to the United Nations, which it spurned when it attacked Iraq to remove Saddam Hussein, media reports said on July 19.

India, 'The New York Times' said, dealt the administration a sharp blow this week, refusing to send peacekeeping troops unless they operated under the auspices of the United Nations. The administration, which had lobbied New Delhi strenuously, had been hoping for a full division of 17,000 peacekeepers, which would have made India the second largest military presence in Iraq after the United States.

The administration had been particularly eager to enlist the Indians, because their presence is widely seen as a bell-wether for numerous other developing countries, the paper said.

Diplomats at the United Nations were discussing various options even though the Bush administration has yet to state its position on a possible new resolution that could lead to wider international involvement in the process of brining peace and stability to Iraq and in its reconstruction.

The Times said with the costs of stabilising Iraq hovering at 4 billion dollars a month and with American troops being killed at a steady rate, administration officials acknowledge that they are rethinking their strategy and may seek a United Nations resolution for help that would placate other nations, like India, France and Germany.

Condoleezza Rice, the national security adviser, reached out to diplomats on the Security Council, and Secretary of State Colin L Powell emerged from a meeting with the German foreign minister, Joschka Fischer, saying he was discussing ways to expand international support for the Iraq occupation, including seeking a new United Nations resolution, the Times reported.

Powell said Security Council Resolution 1483, which was approved in May and calls on all members to assist in Iraq's reconstruction, should be enough "cover" for countries to claim an endorsement from the UN. But he acknowledged that the nations that matter most are not buying that.

"There are some nations who have expressed the desire for more of a mandate from the UN, and I am in conversation with some ministers about this, as well as with the secretary general of the UN," Powell said.

Also, with expectation of a much bigger role for the world body rising, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said the top priority of the occupying powers should be to restoring security, creating an interim government, giving tangible power to Iraqis quickly and demanded that they set "clear and specific" sequence of events leading to the end of military rule.

In a report to Council on July 18, Annan set ambitious goals for the world body which include providing humanitarian assistance, help in rebuilding the country and planning for the elections which would lead to installation of a democratically elected government.

Annan said security and giving tangible power to Iraqis quickly was the common theme of the Iraqis during their discussions with his special representative Sergio Vieira de Mello.

PTI