In Paris, French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin blasted the debate in congress, charging that Iraq was not a "cake to be shared out" among states that supported Washington's hardline role against Iraq.

He spoke after the US Senate and the House of Representatives passed similar amendments late Thursday authorizing nearly 80 billion dollarsmillion euros) to finance the offensive to oust Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and post-war reconstruction.

The differences between the two versions must now be worked out in a conference committee where a House amendment to keep France, Germany, Russia and Syria -- whose outspoken opposition to war has sparked both trans-Atlantic tiffs and tension within Europe -- out of any bids could be thrown out.

Whatever the outcome, it was clear Washington was already looking at the next stage, but differences remain over who will be running matters.

While the European Union wants the United Nations to take a "central" role, US Secretary of State Colin Powell insisted the US-led coalition currently fighting in Iraq should take preeminence in rebuilding the Iraq, when he spoke Thursday to NATO and EU counterparts in Brussels.

He said the United Nations could be a "partner" though its exact role "remains to be seen".

The main opponents to the US-led invasion -- France, Germany, Russia and China -- on Friday all reaffirmed their stance that the United Nations must play a central role in Iraq from now on.

"The idea that Iraq is some sort of Eldorado, a cake that states can share out seems contrary to all good sense...," said French Foreign Minsiter Dominique de Villepin after talks in Paris with his Russian counterpart Igor Ivanov and German Foreign Minsiter Joschka Fischer.

"I am firmly convinced that Iraq will remain for many years to come the duty of the international community," he said.

In Beijing, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Yuri Fedotov also railed against debate in Wahsington.

"The forms and standards of Iraqi reconstrution should not be decided by the US Congress, but by the United Nations," he said.

Several countries --- notably Europe's former communist states who largely threw their support behind US President George W. Bush's drive against Iraq -- acknowledged they were ready to vye for the lucrative contracts and concessions for rebuilding post-war Iraq and extracting crude from its vast reserves.

Turkey and Romania, whose foreign ministers met Friday in Ankara, "agreed that we should have a role in the future of Iraq," Romanian Foreign Minister Mircea Geoana told a press conference.

Bucharest said it will give Washington next week a list of some 30 Romanian countries, including oil firms Petrom and Tompetrol, who want to take part in Iraqi reconstruction.

The head of Romania's foreign trade department Eugen Dijmarescu said he asked Washington to put them high on the priority list as "companies representing an allied country", adding that "coutnries that opposed the war will be put at the bottom of the list."

Bulgaria and Slovakia, both part of the anti-Iraq coalition, also said they were preparing bids.

Sofia, which had close ties with Baghdad under its old communist regime, wants to get reimbursement for a 1.7 billion dollar-debt still owed by Iraq and get Bulgarian firms hired on as subcontrators to US firms, said Foreign Minister Soloman Passi.

He said Bulgaria's participation would be "a logical consequence of the correct postion of the government and parliament" in the Iraqi crisis.

In staunch US-ally Spain the country's main oil company Repsol YPF, said on Friday it was ready to consider business opportunities in post-war Iraq.

Meanwhile, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov noted ironically that the war had opened up market opportunities for Russian weapons used by Baghdad's forces.

"We got a great advertising gift for our weapons in Iraq" after the old weapons nonetheless inflicted losses on coalition forces, he was quoted as saying by the Interfax-AVN news agency on Friday.

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