UNITED NATIONS, May 24: The United States and Britain tabled a new UN resolution on Monday that envisages hand over of power to a "sovereign" government in Iraq by June 30 and seeks to authorize a multinational force to maintain peace.

The resolution "endorses the formation of a sovereign interim government" that would take office by June 30 and says it would "assume the responsibility and authority for governing a sovereign Iraq", said one diplomat who was given a copy of the draft resolution.

The draft, formally introduced at a closed door meeting of the Security Council, proposes giving the new Iraqi government the right to review the mandate of the multinational force and control over its oil and gas resources and also over a fund, now in the hands of the United States and Britain, where oil revenue is deposited.

Talking to reporters before going in to attend the Council debate, German Ambassador Gunter Pleuger said: "Everybody will have a constructive look at it and this is a good basis for discussion," referring to the draft resolution.

"As far as I can see, the mandate will cover one year," Mr Pleuger said before the start of the Security Council debate, adding a review may be done even before that.

Mr Pleuger said the Security Council move is not intended to undermine the ongoing efforts by Lakhdar Brahimi, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's special adviser. "I think nobody wants to pre-empt Mr Brahimi," he said.

He said Germany, France and Russia made "some constructive proposals" and that some of the proposals had been included in the resolution. "We will see what further improvements can and could be made to the present draft," he added.

Reinforcing their determination for a new start for Iraq, the United States and Britain state clearly in the resolution that by June 30 their occupation will end and the Coalition Provisional Authority will "cease to exist". It makes no mention, however, of the Iraqi Governing Council.

Pakistan's Ambassador Munir Akram, who heads the UN Security Council this month, observed "as far as Security Council's support for interim government and Brahimi's plan are concerned, we believe that the Security Council support and endorsement should be seen as a response to a partnership with the Iraqi people".

Mr Akram said "Pakistan believes that the United Nations' importance [in Iraq) would not arise from its size; it would arise from the fact that the UN will be the source of legitimacy and acceptability in a transformed Iraq. Its role should be clearly spelt out in any new resolution".

Agencies add: The draft proposed the US force in Iraq could "take all measures" to keep order and set no date for it to leave.

The text endorses a US-led multinational force, which would have "authority to take all necessary measure to contribute to the maintenance of security and stability". But the draft is bound to run into criticism from France, Germany, Russia and others who opposed the Iraqi invasion last year.

It does not give a definite timetable for the foreign force to leave and instead calls for a review after a year, which a new Iraqi government can request earlier.

A review, however, would be similar to an open-ended mandate and would not mean the force would leave unless the Security Council, where the United States has veto power, decides it should do so.