"We are together concerned about the humanitarian situation, about the total lack now of public order, the status of anarchy which is there," Council of Europe Secretary-General Walter Schwimmer told reporters after meeting Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul.

Calling for urgent action, Schwimmer said the duty of installing law and order fell first on the shoulders of the US-led invasion force, but said the international community should take steps as well.

He urged the United Nations to play a leading role in the post-war reconstruction of Iraq, and added that the foreign ministers of the Council's 45 member-states would meet the UN next month to discuss what they can do on the issue.

"I hope that there we can provide some concrete steps to find solutions for a democratic, prosperous Iraq which respects the rights of all peoples and all religious groups which live in Iraq," Schwimmer said.

"Iraq is a neigbour of the Council of Europe and an immediate neighbour of Turkey so we have a strong interest to contribute to stabilization there," he added.

The Secretary-General lauded the Turkish government on democratic reforms it has undertaken to boost its chances of joining the European Union, and called for efforts to facilitate a solution on the island of Cyprus which remains divided since the 1974 Turkish invasion.

Last month, the United Nations failed to broker a deal between the island's rival Turkish and Greek communities in a last ditch effort ahead of the internationally-recognized Greek Cypriot side's EU accession in 2004.

The EU accession could prove problematic for Turkey by making its 30,000 soldiers in the north an "occupying force" on EU territory.

SPACE.WIRE