With the US-led invading forces facing little resistance as they march ahead into Iraq, United States has said that the phase of military operations was nearing an end and work of recovery may begin soon.
"We are in this transition from decisive combat into providing governance for the Iraqi people of their own choosing," Commander of Operation Iraqi Freedom Gen Tommy Franks said in television interviews on Sunday.
Franks said that he had invited Iraqis from both inside and outside the country to a meeting in Nasiriyah on Tuesday which will begin the process of shaping the future Iraqi government.
"What we want is an organisational meeting where people can come together and begin, themselves, to decide how they want in the future to determine an interim government," he said.
Franks said that there was still work to be done in eliminating the hard-core elements in Baghdad.
The Iraqi capital, for example had been divided into 55 to 60 zones, he said, adding the US-led forces expect to face resistance from groups of five to 25 hardcore supporters of the Saddam regime.