UNITED NATIONS, Feb 20: Mr Lakhdar Brahimi, the UN chief's adviser, is expected to go back to Iraq to help form an interim government if Iraqi leaders are unable to agree on a plan to assume power when the US-led occupation ends in June , UN diplomats here said on Friday.

On Thursday Secretary General Kofi Annan said elections before the June 30 deadline were not feasible, but asserted that the date for restoring sovereignty that US wants "must be respected".

"We have absolutely no preferred options," Mr Annan told reporters. "We need to have the Iraqis discuss it. They must take ownership, discuss it amongst themselves, and we will try and work with them to find a consensus."

The Bush administration has asked the world body to come up with proposals for Iraq's political future before and after the June 30 transfer of power.