Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said Tuesday he saw no point in holding a ministerial-level meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Iraq Wednesday, March 19, and would not attend such a session.

"There is no reason in my judgement to go tomorrow," Powell said of the meeting that would be attended by ministers in the anti-war camp.

"It's not a question of the United States boycotting the meeting, I just don't see a particular need for me to go," he told reporters.

Powell said he believed Washington's interests at the meeting could "be handled more than adequately" by U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Negroponte.

He said the council remained "relevant" in U.S. eyes and would be called upon in a post-conflict situation to assist in Iraqi reconstruction.

However, Powell claimed its failure to adopt a new resolution on Iraq had made it irrelevant "on this particular matter."

"I think it lost relevancy on this particular issue because it didn't deal with it forthrightly at the end of the day.

"But we will need the Security Council in the future as we develop new resolutions that will deal with the aftermath of a conflict if a conflict comes," Powell said.

He claimed 45 nations backed the United States in the "coalition" that may soon go to war.

The wartime secretary of state said 30 countries, which have offered troops, support, overflight rights and logistical assistance, were willing to be named publicly, while 15 wanted to remain anonymous at present.

"We now have a coalition of the willing that includes some 30 nations who have publicly said they can be included in such a listing.

"There are 15 other nations who for one reason or another do not yet wish to be publicly named but will be supporting the coalition," Powell said, adding that those countries would be identified "in due course."

The State Department later released a list of the countries that it said were included in what it called the "Coalition for the Immediate Disarmament of Iraq."

Those countries include: Afghanistan, Albania, Australia, Azerbaijan, Britain, Bulgaria, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Hungary, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, the Netherlands, Nicaragua, the Philippines, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey and Uzbekistan.

"I hope that they will all be able to do everything that is possible within their means to support the coalition militarily, diplomatically, politically and economically," Powell said.

So far only Britain and Australia have committed troops to the looming U.S.-led invasion.

Conspicuously absent from the list are France, Germany, Russia and China as well as any Arab country.

U.S. Tried To Push U.N. To "Suicide"

For his part, Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri accused the United States of attempting to "push the United Nations to suicide" with its second resolution backing war on Iraq.

The Americans "wanted to use the U.N. like an office to issue a permit to go to war," or become an "office to destroy peace and safety," Sabri told a press conference in Baghdad.

The Iraqi foreign minister branded Bush a "war criminal" and accused Washington of "wanting to undermine the work of (U.N.) arms inspectors."

Sabri dismissed calls by Bush for Saddam to step down and insisted that the Iraqi people "choose their own leaders".

"Millions have chanted 'Iraq is Saddam, Saddam is Iraq'," he said.

Criticizing the U.N. evacuation of its staff, Sabri said this "measure is contrary to the United Nations' responsibility (as it) paved the way for an American aggression" against Iraq.

He had particularly harsh words for U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, calling his actions "irresponsible".

"The U.N. secretary general withdrew ... the inspectors, staff on the humanitarian program, suspended the oil-for-food program and withdrew all the staff from all U.N. agencies. Does that conform to the responsibility of the U.N.?" Sabri wondered.