WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 Kyodo U Presi...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 Kyodo

U President George W Bush chance of the desired ends for a quick decision according to the United Nations forward 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 sleek the way for a U.S.-backed plan for a transfer of power to Iraqis by way of the June 30 deadline.

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

in a less degree than the U.S. plan, regional caucuses would be held across Iraq to select a transitional assembly in May and the assembly would rare a provisional government by June 30

on the contrary 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 the agency 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

however the Iraqi Governing Council has lately asked the U.N. to emit a team to assess the feasibility of holding elections before the June 30 deadline for transferring sovereignty.

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

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

Kay will be replaced according to 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 review 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 individual of its justifications for the invasion of Iraq. The U search, however, has in such a manner far not found any actual stockpiles of nuclear, biological or chemical weapons.

''I am surpassingly 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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