The lightning, 48-hour trip to Ankara, Belgrade and Brussels marked Powell's return to the world scene after the mid-March, diplomatic stalemate at the United Nations and his eclipse by the Pentagon with the start of the Iraq war.

Powell's main achievement was getting Turkey to agree to provide logistical support to US forces in northern Iraq, warming relations that froze on March 1 when Turkish lawmakers stopped 62,000 US troops from using Turkey to open a northern front against Baghdad.

However, Powell was unable to get Turkey's pledge to keep its own troops out of Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq, a possibility that could raise regional tension and jeopardize the US-led war in Iraq.

Ankara made it clear it needed nobody's permission for anything, but a Turkish official promised his country would "do everything in coordination (with the United States) and in a transparent manner."

Powell's visit Thursday to Brussels, where he met with his counterparts from the European Union, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov, revealed the distance between Washington and its allies on the UN's role in Iraq's post-war reconstrucion and political transition.

From the preliminary discussions on the UN issue, more tough debate lies ahead for "friends and allies."

While the Europeans would like the United Nations to assume a central role in post-war Iraq, Powell envisioned merely a "partnership" for the world body and stressed that the US-British coalition waging the war intends to keep a protagonist role when the war is over.

Powell is seen as favoring an international role in post-war Iraq, but his comments reflect the influence of Washington "hawks" such as Defense Secreary Donald Rumsfeld and Vice President Dick Cheney, who do not want to see the United Nations ushering in France, Germany and Russia, all of whom opposed the US stance on Iraq.

Powell has been cautious during his visits, saying that the extent and nature of a UN role in post-war Iraq was still under consideration.

On the bright side, Powell seemed satisfied with the friendly and open tone of the discussions, especially when compared with the recent acrimonious debates he attended at the UN Security Council.

US diplomats were also patting each other on the back for organizing in less than three days what are considered the most important international meetings on Iraq since the start of the war.

"The atmosphere was really good, even with the French," a senior US official said, referring back to the row with Paris over its promise to veto any UN resolution that would have authorized using force to disarm Iraq.

With his brief stopover in Belgrade on Wednesday to give US support to the Serbian government in the wake of the assassination of prime minister Zoran Djindjic, Powell showed that the Iraqi crisis did not prevent him from focusing on other international issues.

SPACE.WIRE