General James L. Jones made the comments amid ongoing informal talks over a US request for the 19-nation Alliance to help secure the conflict-scarred country as it sets up a new government.

"Today I have received no guidance and no instructions to do planning of any sort, but if it did come, we'll be prepared to do so," said Jones.

"We just have to wait and see what the political will is," added Jones, Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), speaking at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE).

The United States is pushing for NATO to play a peacekeeping role in Iraq, and initial resistance from some anti-war countries including France appears to be easing.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell visited NATO's Brussels headquarters this month and said afterwards that no Alliance members had ruled out the possibility.

This in theory includes France, which sparked an unprecedented crisis in NATO in February by refusing -- along with Germany and Belgium - to agree to a US request to bolster Turkey's defences in preparation for war.

Press reports Thursday said that French President Jacques Chirac had told the White House that France is "open" to a NATO role in Iraq.

France took a step towards reconciliation with Washington this week by issuing a surprise proposal to suspend United Nations sanctions against Iraq.

The United States, while insisting the sanctions be completely lifted, offered something of an olive branch in return, saying the French proposal "is ... a move in our view in the right direction", all the while mulling potential "consequences" for Paris for its opposition to the war.

While NATO governments bridge their political differences, the military men say they are ready at a moment's notice.

"If tasked we could bring our resources to bear to fashion a response. But for that to happen it would have to be asked, and I have not been asked," said Jones.

He declined to specify what role NATO could have, rebuffing questions as to whether it could be as peacekeepers or searching out any weapons of mass destruction.

"Without having particular tasking to do so it would not be proper for me to speculate on the type of contribution that SHAPE could play, but this is a very capable organization," he said.

Jones added that NATO hoped to have a rapid response force of up to 2,000 soldiers ready to deploy by October.

The planned force is a keystone of NATO's transformation, agreed at a landmark summit last November, to turn the former Cold War military bloc into a global fighting force for the post September 11 world.

"What we hope to show is an initial capability that will be an integrated air, land and sea force that is capable of reacting on a moment's notice," said Jones.

SPACE.WIRE