Security Council adopts US Iraq plan

IN a diplomatic victory for the United States, the Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution yesterday aimed at attracting more troops and money to stabilise Iraq and putting it on the road to independence.

The vote bolstered US efforts to win credibility for its rebuilding effort in Iraq and to ease the burden of American forces there. But at a summit in Brussels, European leaders ruled out any immediate commitments of financial or military aid.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell called the vote "a great achievement."