The US-led coalition handed over power to the interim Iraqi government on Monday, ending its 14-month occupation of the country. But with violence still raging in Iraq, the transfer will in no way expedite the return of UN staff to help with its rebuilding.

In a statement welcoming the power handover, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan reiterated the world body's commitment to assist Iraqis in the political transition. However, he said UN staff could go in only "as circumstances permit," an allusion to security guarantee.

UN associate spokesman Stephane Dujaric said the transfer would not lead to an immediate return of UN staff in large numbers to Iraq. "We have no target date," he told reporters.

Security has been listed as top priority by Annan since last August's deadly bomb attack on the UN office in Baghdad, which killed 22 people, including his special representative Sergio de Mello, and prompted him to withdraw all UN international staff from Iraq.

After the pullout, Annan sent in his political adviser Lakdar Brahimi and top UN elections official Carina Perelli to help form the interim Iraqi government and prepare Iraq's first post-Saddam Hussein elections by the end of January. But the United Nations has no permanent presence in Iraq and its Iraq mission is currently based in Amman, capital of Jordan.

Compared with one year ago, the United Nations would have better chances to play a role in Iraq if security conditions improve. The United States dropped its opposition to giving a substantive role to the world body and has wooed desperately the United Nations to go back to Iraq.

Under a resolution unanimously adopted by the Security Council, the United Nations would play a "leading" role in helping Iraqis organize a national reconciliation conference, prepare elections, draft a permanent constitution and restore social and civil services.

On the insistence of Annan, nevertheless, the words "as circumstances permit" were added to the resolution as a precondition for the United Nations to play such a role.

It had been widely hoped that the UN-endorsed power transfer would help reduce violence in Iraq. But violence became increasingly rampant in the run-up to the transfer, with more than 90 people killed in apparently coordinated attacks across Iraq in a single day last Thursday.

The upsurge in violence, which underlined the danger for those working in Iraq, forced the US-led coalition to advance the power transfer, originally slated for Wednesday, and conduct it in an unusually low-key manner.

Diplomats here said the violence would hardly subside if the fledgling interim government fails to win the hearts and minds of Iraqis and convince them that the occupation has ended.

An independent report on last August's suicide attack found that the United Nations was a target of Iraqi militants, who accused it of being a complice of the occupying powers. Annan had hoped that an end of occupation could free the world body of such accusations as it would be invited in by a sovereign government.

But as the United States will maintain a huge military presence in Iraq for a long period of time, the United Nations could be continuously labeled as a complice of the United States and remain a target of anti-US militants, said a council diplomat.

The United Nations is currently consulting with several countries on the establishment of a 4,000-strong force to protect UN staff and facilities in Iraq. Although approved by the Security Council, it remains unknown when the force could be ready to deploy.

Last Friday Annan said he would appoint, within a week, a new special representative who will be based in Baghdad. The appointment would be a major step toward the resumption of UN work in Iraq and the agenda of the new envoy would probably shed some light on when UN staff could return to the country.