United Nations: Secretary General Kofi Annan has said that both the United States and the United Nations made mistakes in Iraq, but stressed that the ultimate responsibility for a secure environment in Iraq lies with the US-led coalition forces.

Annan, who on August 20 vowed that the UN would remain in Iraq to help restore peace and stability, told the Security Council he was surprised by reports that the world body had turned down an offer for increased protection around its mission in Baghdad.

"It is those who have the responsibility for security and law and order, who have intelligence, determine what action is taken. I don't know if the UN did turn down an offer of protection. If it did, it was not correct."

But he asserted that even if UN had turned down the offer of protection, "they (the coalition) should not have allowed it to turn it down".

"We all live in this city (New York). Nobody tells you if you want the police to patrol you neighbourhood. They make an assessment that patrol and protection is needed. And that's what should be done in Iraq," he later told reporters.

Nation building, Annan said, is a tough assignment. But "when you have this kind of terrorist attack and the people perpetrating the attack are prepared to die, providing security and protection is extremely difficult".

In a complex operation like one in the Iraq, he stressed, one has to do planning ahead. "I think there have been some wrong assumptions all along. The coalition has made some mistakes, and maybe we have made some mistakes too."

But when asked to elaborate, Annan declined to go into details. "I don't want to get into finger pointing. But I think that we are all aware that along the way mistakes have been made by all concerned."

He said efforts are being made to bring the situation under control and emphasised that they must succeed because without security, quite a lot of things that international community wants to do cannot happen.

He said the international organisation, which is helping to rebuild the country, would not be deterred by the August 19 attack.

"We will persevere. We will continue. It is essential work."

US Secretary of State Colin Powell is scheduled to meet Annan later in the day to hold talks focusing on the security situation in Iraq.

PTI