UN SECRETARY-GENERAL Kofi Annan urged the United States to resist attacking Iraq, joining calls from leaders in Germany, China, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain yesterday for restraint in considering military action to topple Saddam Hussein.

A top Chinese official has said he believes his country and the United States have resolved their dispute over the downed US spy plane, and agreed to hold China’s highest level meeting with the Bush administration since the crisis began.

China says that American expressions of regret over the apparent death of one of its jet fighter pilots are unacceptable.