Powell, who reassured European officials on Washington's desire for a UN role after the conflict in Brussels on Thursday, said he had had a "good discussion" with Annan about the possibilities and that they would be speaking again shortly.

"We are at the beginning of a process of pragmatic dialogue to determine what the appropriate role of the UN should be," Powell told reporters at the State Department after meeting with top EU diplomat Javier Solana.

"The UN will be a partner in all of this, everybody understands that," he said. "There is no disagreement about that.

"We'll work our way through the intricacies of the role to be played by the UN in the days ahead," Powell said.

The secretary would not elaborate on his talks with Annan but said they followed from ideas discussed in Brussels.

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