Straw was travelling to Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, less than a week after Baghdad fell to US marines with barely a fight and Saddam, Iraq's leader for 25 years, vanished.

He was to return via Athens, venue of a European Union summit on Wednesday that was supposed to ceremoniously welcome 10 new nations to the bloc, but now stands to be dominated by post-war Iraq questions.

Separately, Straw's minister for Middle East affairs, Mike O'Brien, was going Sunday to Iran and Syria, key players in how the Middle East will emerge in the wake of the collapse of Saddam's regime.

A circumspect Foreign Office official said only that Straw and O'Brien would be discussing "a range of bilateral issues" during their respective missions, "including Iraq."

Political analysts expect the two men to also bring up the Israel-Palestinian conflict, in anticipation of a "road map" to peace that envisions a Palestinian state by 2005.

Syria stands accused by the United States and Britain of giving safe haven to fleeing members of Saddam's regime, and of having supplied weapons in the run-up to the US-led invasion that began March 20.

But the two Britons will be travelling hard on the heels of French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin, who is already in the region putting across France's point of view.

Foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council -- which includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates -- will meanwhile meet Tuesday in Riyadh to review developments.

De Villepin was in Damascus on Saturday, then in Beirut on Sunday where he insisted that "the Iraqi question must be brought back under the control of international law."

De Villepin said it was "illogical" that the United Nations' role in Iraq be limited to humanitarian efforts, and insisted that UN inspectors return to determine the real scope of Saddam's quest for weapons of mass destruction.

While paying lip service to the United Nations as a valued international institution, US Secretary of State Colin Powell said that, having conquered Iraq, the United States will be in charge, at least for the time being.

"The United States is not mad with the United Nations," said Powell on BBC television's "Breakfast with Frost" program, aired Sunday.

"But at the same time it was this (US-led) coalition of nations that was willing to put its treasure at risk, take the political risk, and put its sons and daughters at risk" to overthrow Saddam, he said.

"We are committed to making sure that the Iraqi people have a democratic form of government -- and we believe we have a leading role to play in bringing this about," he said.

On the question of UN arms inspectors, Powell was blunt: "It is not a role for France, Germany and Russia. We will be the liberating authority; we will have occupational responsibilities."

British Prime Minister Tony Blair staunchly supported US President George W. Bush throughout the Iraq crisis, but in contrast with Washington his government had been reaching out to Damascus and Tehran in recent months.

Last December, Blair played host when Syrian President Bashar al-Assad -- a one-time medical student in London -- made the first official visit to Britain ever by a Syrian leader.

SPACE.WIRE