The leaders of Germany and France have rejected Washington's new UN draft resolution on Iraq, saying it does not transfer political power to an Iraqi government quickly enough.
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and French President Jacques Chirac added Thursday the draft does not give the United Nations a large enough role in post-war Iraq.
They say they hope Washington will be open to changes in the resolution.
The United States' draft calls for a multinational peacekeeping force under the "unified command" of the United States.
It also calls on Iraq's US-appointed Governing Council to work with US and UN officials to produce a timetable for holding elections and drafting a new Iraqi constitution. But it leaves political and military control of Iraq in the hands of the United States.
The UN Security Council is set to hold an informal meeting on the draft Friday.
The developments came as US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld made an unexpected visit to Iraq Thursday to meet with US commanders and troops. He told reporters he wants more Iraqi and international forces, not additional US troops, to bolster security in Iraq.
He added plans are also underway to recruit former members of the Iraqi military into a new army.
Commander of coalition forces Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez told reporters Thursday that he had enough troops to accomplish the tasks at hand. But he added more would be welcome to help with upcoming security issues, such as controlling the nation's borders and guarding against terror attacks.