16 May 2004	Sunday	25 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1425

UNITED NATIONS, May 15: Russia and France want guarantees of more authority for an Iraqi interim government from the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) before endorsing a new UN resolution, diplomats here said.

Following informal consultations between the 15-member Security Council on Wednesday, Pakistan's Ambassador Munir Akram, who heads the Council this month, said his country was going to be flexible as to how the transfer takes place "as long as it is legal and is acceptable to the Iraqi people".

Although no text for a proposed resolution was circulated for fear of upstaging special UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi's mission to Baghdad on the form of a caretaker government, US and Britain went ahead with talks with other Council members.

British and US officials say the resolution is expected to mark the end of the occupation, the dissolution of the CPA, beginning of a role for the United Nations and approval of a US-led multinational force.

Other issues include maintaining an arms embargo and the fate of a US fund for oil revenues. Also on the table was whether the caretaker government could change regulations law promulgated by the CPA.

But a major issue remains as to who would control Iraq's police and the army, with the Bush administration arguing that a multinational force must have a unified command.

"In military terms, Iraqis should legally have control over its own army," Ambassador Akram said.