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United Nations: France and Germany sought significant changes in the United States' draft resolution seeking establishment of a multinational force under American control in Iraq, as the United Nations Security Council began discussions on it.

Apart from the two countries, India, Turkey and Syria, the only Arab member of the 15-member Council, demand much greater role for the United Nations than envisaged in the American proposal even as Britain, Spain and Mexico support the resolution.

After the closed-door informal consultations on September 5, Council diplomats expressed cautious optimism about an agreed draft emerging, but predicted heated and contentious negotiations in days to come.

However, they were noncommittal on the American desire to have the resolution adopted before September 23 when US President George W Bush addresses the annual session of the UN General Assembly.

Secretary General Kofi Annan expressed the hope that a consensus would be reached among the members.

The draft is aimed at taking care of their objections and get more troops as also money from members states for the reconstruction of Iraq.

The draft gives United Nations role in framing the constitution leading to elections, but ensures that full military and political control remains with the United States, something that some of the major powers oppose.

France and Germany want timetable for occupation to end. The draft, however, only says that the American appointed Iraqi Governing Council work with UN and the coalition to chart timetable for framing the constitution leading to elections.

Despite their apparent strong opposition, France and Germany have not rejected the draft outright and consider it a starting point for negotiations. Diplomats say the United States' coming to the Council, after spurning it during war, is in itself considered a major climb down by Washington.

France is planning to submit some amendments that would, among other things, assure Iraqis that the United Nations is interested in an early end to occupation by the coalition forces.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell, speaking in Washington, defended the American proposal, arguing that it has the largest number of forces and that this type of model had worked earlier. But he also said Washington is prepared to listen to other members of the Council, thus signalling American willingness to incorporate changes in the draft.

The informal discussion in the Council came after more than one and half hours talks among the veto- wielding permanent members – the United States, Britain, Russia, France and China – on September 4 at the invitation of Washington.

PTI