United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan urged on Monday the US-led coalition to work out a political settlement for the military standoff in the restive Iraqi city of Fallujah.

"I think basically the US itself has been very careful about how it handles the situation in Fallujah," Annan told reporters upon his arrival in the UN headquarters.

"Anytime one is forced to fight in built-up areas, it is a very tricky and a very dangerous situation because you want to protect civilians," he said.

"I hope they (the US-led coalition) will succeed in working out a political settlement. I know they have succeeded with the ceasefire, but I hope they will find a way out without having to fight their way into Fallujah," he added.

US troops launched offensives on Fallujah, a city inhabited by Sunnis, on April 5 after four US contractors were killed there. The offensives have reportedly left over 800 Iraqis dead and more than 1,000 wounded.

For fear of high casualties among Iraqi civilians and on their own side, the US troops have so far failed to capture the city. A fragile ceasefire between Sunni insurgents and the US troops has been extended several times.

On Monday, fresh fighting erupted in the city, killing one US soldier and eight Iraqi rebels.

Source: Xinhua