Washington: The US has asked over a dozen countries, including India, Pakistan and France, to join a new international military force to protect the United Nations (UN) in Iraq, according to American and European officials.

The proposal is critical to persuading the UN to return to Iraq after two massive suicide attacks against its Baghdad headquarters last year in which its top official there was killed, they were quoted as saying by 'Washington Post'.

The US has approached France, which led opposition to the war in Iraq, as well as India, Pakistan and other nations, which were reluctant to join the US-led coalition that invaded Iraq, the officials said on condition of anonymity.

The list includes a "good global mix", said a State Department official familiar with the proposed force.

However, no Arab countries or neighbours of Iraq are on the list. Turkey is also notably absent. The Kurds in the North strongly object to Turkish troops entering Iraq.

The new force, said the 'Post', is considered essential to the fragile political transition. The Bush administration is relying on the UN to return to Iraq to organise the elections as well as the polls by year end in places where even the current coalition is not deployed, US officials said.

"Potentially there could be a lot more places that forces would have to go," said a Senior State Department Official on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject.

"None of us has done this before. We all understand the importance of getting UN to return and we are trying to be creative to make that happen. We want to be responsible and make sure there is adequate protection (for UN)".