Iraq minister makes debut but attacks go on

Iraq's US-backed foreign minister made his international debut yesterday, but attacks on American soldiers illustrated the price of the US-led occupation five months after Saddam Hussein's fall.

Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari took his seat at an Arab League meeting in an important step towards the international recognition of Iraq's US-appointed Governing Council.

But the guerilla attacks which have overshadowed political progress since Saddam's fall on April 9 showed no signs of abating, with five US soldiers wounded.

Mr Zebari, a Kurd who was appointed last week by the Governing Council, joined other Arab ministers at a regular meeting of the 22-member League in Cairo.

The move could set a precedent in determining whether the council will be allowed to fill Iraq's seat at other bodies such as the United Nations and Opec.

In the Iraqi town of Ramadi, part of the "Sunni Triangle" north and west of Baghdad which is seething with anti-American sentiment, two US soldiers were wounded in an attack using an explosive device.

Nearly three hours later, three soldiers were wounded when their vehicle was attacked in Falluja, the US military said.

Sixty-seven US soldiers have died in hostile fire since major combat operations were declared over on May 1. No US soldier has been reported killed in the last week, but a military spokesman said there had been no let up in attacks.

"I would not characterise the level, number or intensity of attacks as decreasing," the spokesman said, adding there had been 14 separate attacks on US forces in the past 24 hours.

With the occupation imposing a mounting cost in American lives and money, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has launched a diplomatic drive to bridge differences between Washington and its critics over the future of Iraq.