MOSCOW, Feb 21: Russia, a leading opponent of the invasion of Iraq, said on Saturday that it did not support holding Iraqi elections until the end of the US military occupation and a handover to Iraqi sovereignty.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Yury Fedotov said national polls could only take place if they were organized under the aegis of the United Nations, which would not agree to take a role in current conditions.

"There is no alternative to nationwide elections in Iraq and they will be held sooner or later," Mr Fedotov was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.

"But such elections will require in-depth preparation by all sides and it is very hard to imagine conducting such preparations under conditions of occupation of Iraq," he added.

The United Nations, whose secretary general Kofi Annan recommended on Thursday that elections be put off and a caretaker regime selected for the short term, "is unlikely to agree to start its work in Iraq under occupation".

"The participation of the UN can only happen when the occupation of Iraq is ended and sovereignty is returned to the Iraqis," the Russian diplomat said.

US civil administrator for Iraq, Paul Bremer, said on Saturday that it would be will be impossible to organize elections in Iraq for another year to 15 months for technical reasons.

US officials have long argued that widespread insecurity and a lack of electoral infrastructure prevented early elections. -AFP