"Some countries are strongly in favor of a NATO role, none excluded it," NATO chief George Robertson said, after an extraordinary gathering of alliance and EU foreign ministers last week.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell is clearly among supporters. "What I am pleased about today is that all of my NATO colleagues saw that as a possibility and were willing to consider it," he said.

Washington originally proposed the idea last December, but it was shelved notably due to reservations by anti-war countries in the former Cold War bloc, which is battling to transform itself into a key force in the post-September 11 world.

At the time three European states -- Germany, France and Belgium -- plunged the 19-member alliance into the worst crisis in its 54-year history by blocking US plans to prepare for the then-looming war.

But the debate resurfaced with a vengeance last week at the Brussels meeting between Powell and 22 of his European counterparts, focussed on post-war Iraq.

Again, the anti-war skeptics poured cold water on the idea: German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer bluntly said the US proposal was "a very abstract idea, about which we are skeptical."

French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin also described it as "premature."

Powell admitted that he had not even formally relaunched the proposal at a meeting of NATO's decision-making North Atlantic Council (NAC), although it was clearly discussed.

"The important thing is that nobody raised any objection to that possibility," said Powell, while conceding that a decision "will have to be made at some time in the future."

It is true that the question of a possible NATO involvement in Iraq is currently overshadowed by debate over what the United Nations will or will not do.

But some commentators say the two issues are linked.

"Nation-building in Iraq cant be done by the United Nations. It cant be done by a committee," said columnist Thomas L. Friedman of the New York Times last week.

"So what America will eventually need in Iraq is a credible peacekeeping force that is multilateral, legitimate and still led by the United States. That will bring the United States back to NATO, possibly in partnership with some Arab and Muslim armies," he said.

NATO chief Robertson acknowledged that a role for the Alliance would depend on the United Nations.

"The issue of whether or how NATO might be able to contribute to this effort will need to be considered carefully, including in the light of decisions taken by the UN," he added.

The United States, seeking to mend shattered diplomatic fences even as it embarks on a decisive phase of its military action, is apparently at pains not to try to strong-arm the anti-war states.

NATO officials insist that no formal debate on the Iraq option is scheduled for the moment. But Spanish Foreign Minister Ana Palacio said NATO ambassadors could meet next week to "consider" the possibility.

Some commentators say the NATO question may come to a head sooner rather than later. "Another row risks erupting soon, about a NATO involvement after the end of hostilities," said the Belgian daily Le Soir.

SPACE.WIRE