Behind the scenes, divisions over the humanitarian effort were widening Wednesday. Annan was meeting Wednesday with the heads of the main UN agencies to discuss resuming work as soon as the security situation permits.
An emergency meeting of the Security Council was last night expected to discuss a draft resolution giving Annan authority to run the oil-for-food program, which supports nearly two thirds of the Iraqi population.
Annan wants to revive it as quickly as possible, but is facing opposition from Syria, which believes taking control away from the Baghdad authorities in effect sanctions the war.
Russia and France are also opposed, fearing that America will grab control of oil resources.
The White House has said it wants to use the oil revenues to help rebuild the country but the Security Council members who believe that President Saddam Hussein could have been disarmed peacefully through UN inspections want to ensure that the immediate humanitarian costs of the war are paid by the US, not the UN.
Aid agencies, which are becoming increasingly critical of the military's relief work, want UN control as soon as possible.
"All humanitarian efforts should be put under the control of the United Nations," said John Davidson of Christian Aid.
UN agencies are awaiting the all clear from New York before sending their international staff back in. But most still have local staff and hope they can resume operations as soon as possible.
"We anticipate that, as in the Afghanistan conflict, we will have trucks moving in even during the war and replenishing food stocks," said Trevor Rowe of the World Food program.
Iraqis have about five weeks' supply of food left, according to estimates by the WFP.
The WFP has about 30,000 tonnes of food stockpiled in neighbouring countries, enough to feed 2 million people for a month.
Before the war, 60 per cent of the population depended on the oil-for-food program, which allowed Iraq to sell oil in order to provide food, medicines and other humanitarian needs.
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