WASHINGTON, July 11: US Secretary of States Colin Powell admitted on Thursday there was no certainty how many foreign troops were going to Iraq to help US and British forces, in an indication that US efforts to enlist international assistance in pacifying the country may have hit a snag.

“I can’t give you the exact number of nations or how many troops are going to be committed,” Mr Powell said, appearing on CNN’s “Larry King Live” programme.

The statement starkly contrasted with recent upbeat assessments by top Defence Department officials, who have insisted that foreign aid to battle-weary American soldiers was well on the way.

Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Douglas Feith told a think tank here on Monday that more than 45 nations had made offers of military support “for security and stability operations” in Iraq.

He said 18 countries currently had military capabilities on the ground in the occupied nation, ranging from full combat divisions to field hospitals.

Britain and Poland have formally agreed to lead multinational divisions that will help the United States establish security in Iraq, and according to Feith, other countries are considering joining them.

“And still other countries have indicated their willingness to participate in peacekeeping, in some cases by contributing units from their national police forces, such as Italy’s ‘carabinieri,’” the defense under secretary boasted in a speech before the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Powell said he was sure that “a number of other nations” will be joining the United States and Britain in Iraq, but would not confirm any of the figures.

And, he cautioned against illusions about the amount of help the administration of President George W. Bush and its allies could count on.

“The guts of the work will still have to be done by the United States, Great Britain and the original members of the coalition,” conceded the secretary of state.

The discordant notes came as the number of US soldiers killed in hostile action in Iraq since May 1, when Bush declared an end to major combat operations, reached 31, and calls for foreign help in the US Congress were brought to a fever pitch.

Earlier Thursday, the US Senate unanimously passed an amendment to a foreign aid bill containing an appeal to the White House to “formally and expeditiously” consider requesting a NATO peacekeeping force for Iraq.

“It’s important, it’s critically important, that we reach out to the international community, that we internationalize this effort,” Democratic Senator Carl Levin said in a television interview.

He expressed the hope that German soldiers with NATO insignia would not be targeted in Iraq with the same ferocity as their American counterparts.

But a report published Thursday in the newspaper USA Today poured cold water on expectations of quick foreign help, saying many nations were “balking” at jumping into the Iraqi cauldron with both feet.

It said India, Pakistan and Portugal, which the Pentagon had hoped would deliver between 25,000 and 30,000 soldiers, were now insisting that the United Nations approve a UN mandate for the force first.

In the meantime, Portugal was ready to send just 120 paramilitary police rather than regular soldiers, according to the report.

Asked to comment on the account, Powell issued no denial, saying instead, “Well, we are working with a number of allies who have made commitments.”

A number of countries approached by the United States have also expressed reservations about their troops serving under US command, according to defense officials.—AFP