US Secretary of State Mr Colin Powell today called former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein "a piece of trash waiting to be collected" but declined to say how long it may take US forces to find him.
"Saddam Hussein is no longer bad news. He's a piece of trash waiting to be collected," Mr Powell told Reuters news agency in an interview. "The noose is tightening but I can't speculate on how close one might be to actually capturing Saddam Hussein."
Several nations, notably India and France, have said they would need a broader United Nations mandate to send their forces to take part in the occupation of Iraq following the US-led campaign that toppled Saddam from power this spring.
Mr Powell said he was considering whether and how a new UN resolution might be crafted but had not made a recommendation to US President George W. Bush.
He also said he did not believe the United States would need to cede the authorities granted to it under UN Security Council resolution 1483, which confirmed the United States and Britain as occupying powers in Iraq.
"At the moment I don't see a need to cede any of the authorities granted to us under 1483 or other international conventions that guide our actions in Iraq," Mr Powell said, a stance at odds with that of countries like France which want to see a central UN role in Iraq.