US: The Bush administration is exploring, for the first time, the creation of a multinational military force for Iraq under UN leadership, but still subordinate to US commanders, the deputy Secretary of State, Mr Richard Armitage, said.
The solution would be designed to give the United Nations a greater role in the Iraqi occupation in return for increased support of the US-dominated peacekeeping mission, administration officials said. Without a strong UN mandate, a number of countries have so far been reluctant to send troops.
US officials emphasised that the concept is one of several under discussion as the administration seeks stronger military and financial backing for Iraqi reconstruction without surrendering American control.
There is no agreement yet within the administration, and neither the Pentagon nor the White House has signed off.
The Bush administration is facing growing pressure to resolve Iraq's continuing instability at a time when thinly-stretched US forces are struggling to halt guerrilla assaults, violent crime and a recent spurt of deadly terrorist attacks.
Mr Armitage's remarks to regional reporters, released on Wednesday, reflect a difficult effort to share the burden more widely.
The administration's willingness to consider the creation of a multinational peacekeeping force under a UN mandate could signal an important shift, since the Defence Secretary, Mr Donald Rumsfeld, and other senior officials have thus far been reluctant to cede any US authority over reconstruction and stability operations.
Informal discussions on a possible UN resolution are under way in New York and key capitals.
The US Secretary of State, Mr Colin Powell, is leading this effort as he did last spring's unsuccessful bid for UN Security Council approval of the Iraq invasion, officials said.
Draft language designed to attract more troops and money could be circulated next week, said diplomats, who cautioned that a solution seems distant.
At the Security Council, key officials from France, Germany and Russia who opposed the war in Iraq remain deeply sceptical about authorising a new multinational force that would operate under US command.
They believe the United States should yield greater political and economic control to the United Nations and other governments that contribute troops.
Some council diplomats also want the United States to cede a measure of political authority inside Iraq. They have called on the administration to set a firm timetable for the establishment of a representative government and a schedule for the withdrawal of US and British forces who waged the war that toppled Saddam Hussein.
Mr Rumsfeld favours an increase in foreign troops, but has long been opposed to a formal UN command.
He declared as recently as Monday: "I think that's not going to happen."