BRUSSELS, April 3: US Secretary of State Colin Powell and European Union foreign ministers failed on Thursday to resolve transatlantic differences over post-war Iraq, with America rejecting EU demands that the United Nations be given a central role in administering and rebuilding the country.

The US-led coalition, which had taken on a “difficult mission” at great political and financial expense — and also lost lives in the operation — “has to play a leading role in determining the way forward” after the Iraq fighting ends, Mr Powell told reporters after talks with his EU counterparts.

The UN would be a “partner” but its exact role still needed to be determined, Mr Powell said.

Outlining his vision of a post-war Iraq, the secretary of state said that while US-UK military commanders worked to stabilize the situation, “we will quickly bring in individuals who can set up an interim Iraq authority” composed of Iraqi politicians in exile as well as individuals inside Iraq “who recognize the dangers of Saddam Hussein.”

Mr Powell’s comments set the US once again on a collision course with France, Germany, Belgium and other EU states which say the United Nations, sidelined in the run-up to the war, must get back on centre stage once rebuilding begins.

French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said Paris recognized that ensuring security and stability in Iraq after the conflict would be the “very special responsibility for the forces on the ground.”

But once this was accomplished, “we want the UN to have a central role in the reconstruction of Iraq, political and economic,” he insisted.

Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou, speaking as current EU spokesman, warned that “a UN resolution will be a requisite for full EU involvement in post-conflict questions in Iraq.