"I expect that for the near and immediate term, the United States and its allies on the ground would have an important and direct role," Ople said in a statement amid an international debate on the role of the United Nations in post-war Iraq.

"But I believe that once we have addressed the immediate needs, the United Nations should have and will have an increased role. I also believe that the Iraqi people, through the interim Iraqi government, should have a strong say in all this," he added.

Amid calls by some European countries for a leading UN role in post-war Iraq, Ople said the issue of post-war mechanisms should be the least divisive aspect of the discussions.

"On our part, we are prepared to send a humanitarian team to Iraq, whether under a mechanism set up by the United States or by the United Nations. This debate seems almost irrelevant in the light of the urgent need to act to prevent a humanitarian disaster in Iraq," he said.

President Gloria Arroyo, whose government had offered political and moral backing for the US-led invasion, has pledged to send a 500-member humanitarian team to Iraq including peacekeepers, medical workers and engineers.

SPACE.WIRE