A troop offer by Turkey was withdrawn last week after the Iraqi Governing Council opposed the deployment of Turkish troops in the country.
Foreign fighters and loyalists of ousted president Saddam Hussein have been blamed for taking US and Iraqi lives daily and for driving out international aid organizations.
Meanwhile, the chiefs of several UN agencies working in Iraq arrived in Cyprus Monday for two weeks of consultations following the deadly suicide bombing of their Baghdad headquarters, a UN spokeswoman said.
"Heads of the humanitarian agencies involved in Iraq are here for consultations to assess the whole situation and security is one aspect," said Veronique Taveau.
Among the agencies are the UN children's fund UNICEF, the World Health Organization, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.



