The 24 men and one woman who will act as ministers in an interim government until elections are held in Iraq were due to be sworn in Wednesday at a ceremony in Baghdad. The new cabinet, unveiled Monday, is divided up among the country's various communities, with 13 ministries going to Shiite Muslims, five to Sunni Muslims, five to Kurds, one to the Turkmenis and one to the Christians. It will report to the Governing Council, approved in July by the US-led coalition that ousted Saddam Hussein in April. Each ministry will also continue to be supervised by a coalition-appointed advisor, most of whom are American. And Paul Bremer, the top US official in Iraq, will retain overall authority until an elected government is in place, a move scheduled for next year at the earliest. The Bush administration is quietly consulting with other countries on a new Security Council resolution that would give the United Nations a leading role in building an Iraqi government and transform the military presence in Iraq to a multinational force. **Bush Seeking Help*** George Bush and Colin Powell met on the issue Tuesday and agreed to move forward with a new U.N. resolution in an effort to attract more foreign contributions to postwar Iraq, three senior administration officials said on condition of anonymity. The United States hopes that expanding the U.N. role in postwar Iraq will attract badly needed troop contributions from more countries to help stabilize Iraq and to gain money to help rebuild the country. Last week, Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage said the Bush administration was open to the creation of a U.N.-endorsed multinational force - but with an American commander - in an attempt to persuade reluctant nations to send troops to boost security in Iraq. But one official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said then the administration would not consider putting the operation under U.N. control. France's U.N. ambassador, Jean-Marc de La Sabliere, whose country wields a Security Council veto and which led the opposition to the war against Iraq, said the international community needs to move quickly to establish an internationally recognized Iraqi government. France and Russia have called for a timetable for a constitution, elections and the restoration of Iraq's sovereignty. **Poles Take Command in Central Iraq*** Camp Babylon, Hilla, in Iraq is from today the nerve centre of Poland's contribution to international military operations in the country. At a ceremony planned for today Poland will take over command from US Marines of a large swathe of the centre of the country. It is part of Washington's efforts to ease the burden on its own troops and to internationalise the military occupation in Iraq. Almost 10,000 soldiers drawn from 21 countries are being deployed in the south central zone. Poland has 2,400 soldiers there, making it the biggest non-US contributor. Spain and Ukraine also have large contingents in the region. A recent survey in Poland shows opposition to Polish military involvement in post-war Iraq is increasing. **PHOTO CAPTION*** A US soldier mans a Humvee turret as he patrols Baghdad. (AFP/File/Ahmad Al-Rubaye)