UN Security Council File photo Courtesy UN

The five-page draft resolution reflects weeks of behind-the-scenes negotiations among Security Council countries. As he entered the Council chamber to present the draft Monday, British Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry was optimistic about a quick consensus on terms of a hand-over of power to an interim government in Baghdad.

" But our wish is early progress and try and see a vote in order to end uncertainty and provide a way forward," he said. "And we should do that, I hope in the early period in June."

The resolution calls for a multinational force under unified command to provide security for the foreseeable future. The mandate would be reviewed after one year, however - or earlier if the transitional government requests.

Germany's U.N. representative, Gunter Pleuger, said he was still waiting to see the plan for an interim government being prepared by U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahimi. But called the draft a good basis for discussion.

"It is important that resolution will make clear that we have a new start in Iraq, a political process, the restoration of sovereignty to Iraq, and we will make sure process provides Iraqi ownership for the political process as well as for the process of economic reconstruction," he said.

The draft resolution outlines a leading role for the United Nations in overseeing the process to an elected Iraqi government.

Most international U.N. staff, however, remain outside Iraq, because of security considerations. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has stressed repeatedly that improvements in overall security before U.N. employees return en masse.