Ivanov, speaking at a regional cooperation meeting in the Central Asian state of Uzbekistan, said the US proposal went some way to re-establishing the central role of the United Nations in solving Iraq's problems.

"The US draft resolution shows some movement toward these principles," he told a news conference. "But, naturally, for them to be reflected fully, this document still needs further, very serious work."

He said the situation in Iraq remained serious and urged the United States not to make light of it.

"In this respect, one cannot but express surprise at statements made by some Washington officials that life in Iraq is returning to normal and becoming better virtually day by day," he said.

"One should not be misled -- the situation in Iraq is becoming not better, but worse day by day."

The United States, facing mounting losses among its forces, began pressing this week for the adoption of a new resolution encouraging other countries to contribute troops and money to postwar reconstruction efforts.

But France and Germany, which opposed the US-led war in Iraq, have rejected the proposed draft, saying it does not hand enough responsibility to Iraqis or the United Nations.

Russia also opposed the war, but President Vladimir Putin has said Moscow would support a decision to send a UN-sponsored force to Iraq, even under US command.

Ivanov and other ministers have said Russia has not yet considered dispatching Russian troops but have not ruled out such an option.

AFP adds: With its quick rejection of Washington's proposed resolution on Iraq France is back in its role as America's UN spoiler, but signals suggest that it views the security situation as so serious it may not push its opposition to the limit.

On Thursday President Jacques Chirac said the draft did not go far enough to meeting France's long-standing demand for a quick transfer of authority to the Iraqi people within a clearly-defined UN framework, but he did not dismiss it out of hand and said it would be the "object of discussions."

And on Friday while repeating that the text did not "fundamentally modify the existing set-up (because) it remains essentially inspired by a logic of security," Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said nonetheless that it "went in the right direction.

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"We will approach this new phase in a constructive and open spirit," he told Le Figaro newspaper. "Let us be lucid and responsible. In a world of peril and interdependence, part of our shared destiny is being played out today in Baghdad."

The comments indicated that France will present a tough bargaining partner at the UN in the days ahead, but may not ultimately oppose a compromise resolution.

France led the opposition to Washington's war on Iraq, and today feels a strong sense of vindication as the financial, military and diplomatic costs of the venture continue to mount.

The Bush administration's decision on Wednesday to turn to the United Nations in the hope of sharing some of the burden is seen as further grist to the mill, and Paris now feels the pressure can only grow on Washington to make more concessions towards a greater UN role, commentators said.

French newspapers Friday urged Chirac to hold firm, some asking why the rest of the world should be expected to clean up America's -- and Britain's -- mess.

"France's only mistake was in being right too early," said the conservatiuve Le Figaro. "Why should it spill the blood of its soldiers and sacrifice the credibility of its diplomacy with the sole aim of ensuring President George W. Bush's re-election? "The Bush strategy is insolent. He is calling for help but wants to dictate the terms of his rescue," it said.

But others reflected on the quandary faced by Paris -- the temptation to let Washington stew in its own juices countered by larger anxieties for the stability of the entire Middle East.

"What are the conditions under which we should agree to take part in an adventure which we condemned on principle from the start?" asked the leftwing daily Liberation.

"The way is narrow. We must not let Iraq founder for the bitter and meagre pleasure of seeing Bush fail. But nor must we throw ourselves with our heads down into a quagmire which the Americans first created and now want to extricate themselves from.

"Pragmatism must take precedence over ideology, in Paris as well as in Washington," it said.

Washington's draft text calls for a multinational force in Iraq implicitly under the command of a US general, and endorses the US-created Iraqi Governing Council which is charged with preparing a programme for a new constitution and a timetable for democratic elections.

In his interview Friday, de Villepin said the text did not "sufficiently take into account the political necessity of quickly giving Iraq back its sovereignty and transferring executive power to (Iraqi) institutions."