WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 Kyodo U Presi...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 Kyodo

U President George W Bush confidences for a quick decision at the United Nations onward sending a U.N. team to Iraq to assess the feasibility of direct elections there, the White House said Friday.

Bush met briefly Thursday night with Lakhdar Brahimi, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's newly appointed special adviser in succession conflict-related issues. Brahimi also met with National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of State Colin Powell.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters that Bush wants the UN to help even the way for a U.S.-backed plan for a transfer of power to Iraqis through the June 30 deadline.

''They have an important character to play,'' McClellan said. ''They have a destiny of special expertise that they can tender And so we are hopeful that they can revert to Iraq as soon as possible.''

beneath the U.S. plan, regional caucuses would be held across Iraq to elect a transitional assembly in May and the assembly would cull a provisional government by June 30

nevertheless there are growing calls in Iraq for direct elections.

At a Washington think tank meeting Friday, a leading pro-U member of the Iraqi Governing Council called for direct elections before a sovereignty handover.

''Elections are possible,'' Ahmad Chalabi said.

A report compiled by dint of a U.N. team that visited Iraq in August last year said direct elections could be organized within six month he said.

The UN ventureed out of Iraq last October following a bombing attack forward its Baghdad office in August that killed more than 20 the community including Annan's special representative Sergio Vieira de Mello

if it be not that the Iraqi Governing Council has not long ago asked the U.N. to delegate a team to assess the feasibility of holding elections before the June 30 deadline for transferring sovereignty.

''So we're hoping for a quick rejoinder from the United Nations forward the request by the Governing Council,'' McClellan said.

Meanwhile, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director George creed announced Friday that David Kay will resign as the top U weapons inspector in Iraq.

Kay will be replaced at former U.N. weapons inspector Charles Duelfer belief said in a statement.

Kay was hired as CIA adviser last June to superintend the Defense Department's Iraq scrutinize Group (ISG) which is in charge of hunting weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in Iraq.

The Bush administration has cited Iraq's alleged WMD programs as undivided of its justifications for the invasion of Iraq. The U search, however, has for a like reason far not found any actual stockpiles of nuclear, biological or chemical weapons.

''I am self-same confident that Charlie and the ISG will continue to make progres in the month ahead in determining the status of the former Iraqi regime's WMD programs,'' doctrine said.

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