KUWAIT, April 6: Retired US General Jay Garner, who will head a post-war Iraqi civil administration, has postponed a debut news briefing scheduled for Monday, an aide said.

No reason was given for the postponement.

The aide said the press briefing, which had been scheduled for Monday morning in Kuwait, had been put off indefinitely.

The mission of the Pentagon’s Office for Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance (ORHA), which Gen Garner heads, is to provide humanitarian assistance, work on reconstructing Iraq and install a civil administration to prepare for the eventual creation of an interim government by Iraqis themselves.

Garner’s presence in Kuwait has prompted deep Arab suspicion about Washington’s motives and widespread calls that the United Nations be given the job instead.—Reuters