U.N. Backs Plan to End Iraq Occupation

Yawar said he feels confident about the role of U.S. forces in Iraq and their pledge to consult on sensitive military operations.

"We will be working together," he said. "These people are in our country to help us against bad elements. They are not going to be part of doing negative or having negative impact on the . . . law-abiding Iraqi citizens."

It remains unclear how the resolution will translate into additional concrete support from other nations -- a fervent desire of the Bush administration, long criticized for not giving other countries more substantive roles earlier. Top U.S. officials have conceded that additional foreign security forces are likely to remain unattainable until the violence diminishes.

Diplomats said Tuesday's vote resulted from a newfound flexibility on the part of a Bush administration that had steadfastly insisted on doing things its own way in Iraq.

Heraldo Munoz, Chile's U.N. ambassador, credited the administration with making "a U-turn on the U.N. role."

A senior State Department official said the administration took a different tack this time. The White House was prepared to give away more than it was previously.

"To some extent, the way we got this resolution was different from the past," the official said. "It's now a question of what the Iraqis want and no longer a debate about the United States."

Before and after the war, the Bush administration had largely sidelined the United Nations on political decisions in Iraq despite White House assurances that the world body would have a "vital role." In recent months, as American forces found themselves again at war and taking heavy casualties, U.S. authorities emphasized the need for U.N. help in creating a political solution.

The interim government is intended to hold power until Iraqis choose their own leadership, a task the United Nations is now committed to overseeing. Diplomats said it will be crucial to provide security for U.N. workers. They said much of the rest will be up to the Iraqis.

"We want to send a message to the Iraqis," one council diplomat said. "This is opening a new chapter, with your own fate in your hands. Please get it done."

Wright reported from Washington. Staff writer Glenn Kessler contributed to this report from Georgia.