UN Secretary General Mr Kofi Annan has warned the Security Council is unlikely to support a new resolution encouraging more nations to send troops to Iraq if the US refuses to share responsibility.
Washington is pushing for the new resolution following Tuesday's apparent truck bombing of the organisation's Baghdad headquarters, which killed at least 24 people. Those who died included Mrs Mary Robinson's successor as UN humanitarian chief, Mr Sergio Vieira deMello.
One purpose of a Security Council mandate would be to get Muslim troops into Iraq, from Turkey, Pakistan and Middle Eastern countries, as well as from India. All have refused to send soldiers without UN authorisation.
France, Russia and India and other countries have indicated they will not send troops unless the US agrees to cede some control to the UN. They have also asked for a timetable to end the occupation.
But US Secretary of State Mr Colin Powell said yesterday that the US would not be relinquishing any control over the military force in the country, a position backed by Britain.
Mr Annan, however, said any force should be authorized but not organized by the United Nations. He said the United Nations was not considering sending a peacekeeping force to Iraq but the Security Council may transform the operation into a UN mandated multinational force.
"It is not excluded that the Security Council may decide to transform the operation into a UN-mandated multinational force, operation on the ground with other governments coming in," he said.
"It would also imply not just burden-sharing but also sharing decision and responsibility with the others. If that doesn't happen, I think it is going to be very difficult to get a second resolution that will satisfy everyone."
French foreign minister Mr Dominique de Villepin said today that the US and Britain must quickly put power back in the hands of the Iraqi people to bring stability to the country.
He said the occupying powers could either continue to "act with a certain ambiguity that does not tackle the situation on the ground", or "reinforce the authority of the Iraqi Governing Council".