"There could be advisers from other countries but there will not be foreign nationals running the Iraqi government. That is not the purpose of this action," British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw told the BBC radio.

"What we have agreed with the United States is that the post-conflict arrangements should be endorsed by the United Nations. If that's so, they have got to be acceptable to the United Nations," Straw said.

"What we will be seeking is an interim Iraqi authority moving to a more representative government which is drawn from the Iraqi people," he added.

Straw on Tuesday called for the United Nations to host a post-war conference attended by leaders of Iraq's ethnic groups to choose new national leaders for the country.

Local reports said Straw's vision of UN playing a leading role in such a conference appeared to be at odds with statements from the Bush administration, which had hinted at a UN subordinate to US military rule.

Straw was heading for Berlin on Wednesday for talks with his German counterpart Joshka Fischer. He was also expected to meet with Dominique de Villepin of France and Igor Ivanov of Russia, as well as US Secretary of State Colin Powell, at a NATO meeting in Brussels on Thursday.

(Xinhua News Agency April 2, 2003)