President George Bush claimed a diplomatic victory last night after securing international agreement for a UN resolution backing a provisional Iraqi government due to take office at the end of the month.
The UN Security Council unanimously backed the resolution last night.
The text of the negotiated resolution does not explicitly give the caretaker government in Baghdad a veto over individual operations by a US-led multinational force, but it will have to be consulted and it will also have the right - in theory - to order the total withdrawal of foreign troops at any time.
The compromise was reached in time to remove Iraq as a potential flashpoint at the G8 summit hosted by Mr Bush near Savannah, Georgia.
Speaking to journalists before the UN vote, the US president had predicted a Security Council consensus: "I'm delighted that we're going to get a UN resolution. There were some who said we weren't. I think this is a very important moment on making sure our objective is achieved."
Also commenting before the vote, the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, hailed the deal as an "important milestone" and a sign of new-found unity in the global community after the deep divisions over the invasion of Iraq.
He said: "We all now want to put the divisions of the past behind us and unite behind a vision of a modern, democratic and stable Iraq that can be a force for good, not just for Iraqis but for the whole region and thus the whole world."
Mr Blair expressed hope that the UN resolution would send a message to insurgents in Iraq that the rest of the world was united in support for democracy. "There will be difficult and dangerous days in the coming weeks and months, but there should be no doubt about what it is we want to see happening in Iraq or our collective determination to bring it about."
The deal was sealed after the UN-designated Iraqi Prime Minister, Mr Iyad Allawi, and the US Secretary of State Colin Powell, wrote to the Security Council outlining a common view of how foreign forces should operate, and pledging to set up a joint forum to negotiate controversial actions.
But there remains ambiguity over the powers of the caretaker government due to assume sovereignty on June 30th.
The text of the resolution gives the multinational force "the authority to take all necessary measures to contribute to the maintenance of security and stability in Iraq".
France and other Security Council members had called for the caretaker government to have the right to block "sensitive" operations like the siege of Falluja or any offensives on Islamic holy sites.
But the final draft only calls for Iraqi leaders and US force commanders to reach agreement. It does not stipulate what should happen if they do not.
The interim government could call on the UN to terminate the multinational force's mandate before its renewal in a year's time, but total withdrawal of foreign troops would almost certainly strip Iraqi leaders of their protection.
A French official claimed yesterday that Paris had won "90 per cent of what we asked for".
"The resolution doesn't say what happens if there is disagreement over sensitive operations and the remaining ambiguity is regrettable," the official conceded.
"But we think it is a good resolution." - (Guardian News Service)
Carl O'Brien adds from Savannah:
The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, said he believed Security Council agreement would help improve relations between the EU and the US.
Mr Ahern said the Irish presidency of the EU had played an important diplomatic role in helping to provide conditions for a UN resolution.
"Our position is to support the UN. At every level of the presidency we have been underlining the importance of this," Mr Ahern told The Irish Times.
"Naturally, we are very pleased that this is happening during our presidency. It's a big change from the bad atmosphere of the last 18 months."