Iraq: Powell says consensus soon but Annan wants more

On the eve of his trip to Iraq, US Secretary of State Colin L. Powell met here on Saturday with foreign ministers of France, Russia, Britain...

On the eve of his trip to Iraq, US Secretary of State Colin L. Powell met here on Saturday with foreign ministers of France, Russia, Britain and China to resolve a diplomatic flap over political transition in Baghdad and afterward said the talks led to ‘‘some narrowing’’ of differences.

Meanwhile, an hour before the start of Powell’s visit, a bomb killed a US soldier and wounded three in Falluja. The soldiers’ convoy hit a bomb planted on the road, a spokeswoman for the US-led occupying force said. Witnesses said a Humvee military vehicle had been destroyed.

Powell acknowledged ongoing ‘‘differences and difficulties’’ but warned that haste in turning over power in Iraq could endanger an already fragile process. ‘‘You have to have a government that is not only there with the doors open but it has to be functioning in a way that people will have confidence in it,’’ he said.

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The US and France remain at odds over both the role of the UN and the timetable for handing back power to the Iraqis, according to French officials.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who summoned representatives of the world’s five major powers to Geneva, told a joint news conference that a ‘‘thorough review’’ of the situation in Iraq had been conducted in a ‘‘constructive’’ atmosphere and allowed them to identify ‘‘points of convergence.’’ However, he added such a level of consensus was not enough and that a revised approach must be ‘‘well defined’’ to solve Iraq’s problems. ‘‘Consensus is essential and achievable,’’ Annan said. ‘‘But consensus is not enough. We want a strong and valid resolution which will support our efforts on the ground . . . to win the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people.’’

He said the talks would continue in New York in advance of the opening of the UN General Assembly on September 22. The differences over a proposed resolution have been so deep among the five permanent members of the Security Council that the goal has been a ‘‘break-through in attitude’’ rather than agreement on specific terms for a new resolution, according to well-placed diplomat in Geneva.

In his own briefing to US reporters, Powell described the talks as ‘‘good, open, candid (and) frank.’’