Powell hosted Downer at his home outside Washington on Monday night soon after he touched down after flying in from Australia, a diplomat from Canberra's Washington embassy said.

The Secretary of State left for Turkey early on Tuesday morning.

Downer's visit was hastily arranged after Australian Prime Minister John Howard declined an invitation to attend a war summit at Camp David with President George W. Bush and Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair last week.

Howard's government has endured fierce political flak for standing with the Bush administration on Iraq, and has committed 2,000 personnel, including special forces, to the war effort, plus air force fighter jets and naval ships.

It won warm praise for its efforts from senior US officials on Tuesday.

"Australia has been a tremendous participant and supporter of the coalition in our efforts to liberate Iraq, the Iraqi people from the regime of Saddam Hussein, and disarm that country of weapons of mass destruction," said State Department deputy spokesman Philip Reeker.

Downer is making post-war reconstruction in Iraq the focus of his trip, and has meetings scheduled with top US officials including Vice President Dick Cheney, the president's national security advisor Condoleezza Rice and World Bank and International Monetary Fund chiefs.

He is also due to move on to the United Nations in New York on Wednesday. col/mk

WAR.WIRE