SULEIMANIYAH/TEHRAN, April 14: The United States plans to divide Iraq into three parts and rule over the country for two years, a Kurdish official said on Monday.

Mohammad Haji-Mahmud, head of the Kurdish Social Democratic Party, said Iraq was to be divided into central, northern and southern sectors and be ruled by three Americans and at least three former Iraqi ministers - but without the presence of the two main Kurdish leaders.

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) in Suleimanyah has not yet commented on the claims by the Kurdish socialist leader. But there was reportedly annoyance on the part of the Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP) in Arbil over the reported American plans.

Haji-Mahmud further told the Iranian news agency IRNA that the three Iraqi ministers would be Adnan Pachachi for finance, Salah Shaykhli as spokesman and Ahmad Hobubi as interior minister.

The three Americans would be Jay Garner for the northern, a woman identified as Glasby for the central and another General named Vincent for the southern part of Iraq. Coalition forces commander Tommy Franks would act as military commander for the whole country. —dpa