The appeal by the Swiss government followed separate incidents in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, this week while US forces were taking over the city, which left three journalists and an aid worker dead.

"Following the tragic incidents which caused the death of representatives of the media and a member of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the foreign ministry urges the occupying powers to do everything in their power to maintain order and to guarantee the safety of humanitarian organisations, the media and all foreigners who are currently in Iraq," a statement said.

It welcomed a commitment by countries involved in the war to fulfill their duties as an occupying power under the Geneva Conventions and UN Security Council resolution 1472.

The Swiss government also underscored the "inalienable right of the Iraqi people to self-determination" and to use their country's resources.

"This right must be exercised with strict respect for the country's unity and territorial integrity," it added.

Retired US general Jay Garner is expected to head a post-war administration in Iraq, which Washington says will later hand over power to Iraqis.

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