United Nations: The UN is confident that an Iraqi caretaker Government could be formed ahead of the transfer of power scheduled for June end to guide the country until "free and fair" elections are held in January 2005, Secretary General Kofi Annan's special adviser, Lakhdar Brahimi, has said.

"We are confident that it will be possible to form such a Government in a timely manner, that is during the month of May 2004," Brahimi said in Baghdad Thursday (Apr 15, 2004) following some 10 days of consultations with a cross-section of Iraqi political leaders and civil society representatives.

A summary of his remarks was made available at the UN headquarters.

Brahimi said that the transitional Government would be "led by a Prime Minister and comprise Iraqi men and women known for their honesty, integrity and competence" and that there would also be a President to act as Head of State and two Vice-Presidents.

According to an agreement reached last November, the US-led Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) is scheduled to transfer power to Iraqi Government on June 30 and the current 25-member Governing Council will be dissolved.

Brahimi noted that some of the Governing Council members are already assuming other responsibilities while others "will no doubt be called upon to participate in various State institutions".

The UN envoy is scheduled to return to New York before the end of April to brief the Secretary General and the Security Council before returning to Iraq to hold more consultations.

While Brahimi's recommendations would not be finalised until his return, he outlined a number of preliminary observations and a few tentative ideas.

Brahimi said the current security situation made it all the more urgent for the political process to continue.

"Let me emphasize. The elections scheduled to take place in January 2005 are the most important milestone," he said. "There is no substitute for the legitimacy that comes from free and fair elections."

The UN envoy said he agreed with the suggestion by a number of those he consulted that a large national conference be held to promote national reconciliation.

Such a gathering could be held in July and aim to elect a consultative assembly to serve alongside the caretaker Government until the January 2005 elections.

He said that even though the UN electoral team has been able to progress in its work, "it is important and urgent that, on the Iraqi side, the necessary steps are taken, so that elections can take place" in time.

"Naturally, the security situation has to improve significantly for these elections to take place in an acceptable environment," Brahimi added.