UNITED NATIONS, Aug 7: UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on Friday United Nations would remain 'a high-value' target for attacks in Iraq for the foreseeable future, and would have to limit its activities until the situation improved.

In a report Mr Annan said: "Security will remain the primary obstacle and constraint. A qualitative improvement of the overall security environment is an essential prerequisite for the success of UN efforts in Iraq."

The report came as Mr Annan's new special representative for Iraq, Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, was leaving for Amman (Jordan) to take up his post in Baghdad with a small team, giving the United Nations an official presence in Iraq for the first time since October, 2003.

Mr Annan said in the report that Mr Qazi, would focus on helping the country's people to implement the proposed transitional timetable leading to the establishment of a constitutionally elected government by the end of 2005. To this end, Mr Qazi would work closely with the Iraqi authorities, political entities and civil society, Mr Annan added.

Despite the security constraints, Mr Annan said, the United Nations has remained 'fully engaged in Iraq's political transition process, working from UN headquarters in New York, from the region, and in sporadic trips to the country. He praised the UN's local staff in Iraq, and organizations in the country helping to run UN programmes.

UN Chief said Mr Qazi's primary task will be to assist the Iraqis in political activities leading to the establishment of a constitutionally elected government by Dec 31, 2005.

He has said he expects Qazi to arrive in Baghdad before a national conference of political, religious and civic leaders gets under way in mid-August. A small UN team is already there helping with conference preparations.

But the United Nations is having trouble organizing security in Iraq and transportation.

UN officials have asked US Ambassador John Danforth for help in finding aircraft to get six staffers into Baghdad quickly to help the team, and sometime next week to transport Qazi to Baghdad.

The United Nations efforts since last two months to find countries to contribute troops for a separate force to protect UN staff in Iraq, have proved futile. No nation has offered a single soldier Mr Annan said in the report.

Consequently, he told the Security Council that the UN will have to rely on the interim Iraqi government and the US-led force for security.