The United States has not managed to persuade its allies to help foot the bill for restoring peace in Iraq or provide soldiers for the mission. Talks in Geneva between the foreign ministers from the United Nations Security Council failed to come up with a common plan. The UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said a consensus was necessary but they were not there yet and more talks were needed. The French in particular want control of Iraq handed back to the Iraqis within a month. The Americans say that is unrealistic. However Washington now acknowledges that bringing peace to Iraq is a lot more difficult than it thought would be. It is keen for other countries to send troops in to share the burden. But other UN members are reluctant to get involved while the US continues to hold all the levers of power in Iraq. Underlining how difficult it is proving for the Americans to restore order in the country, two American soldiers were killed in a shooting on Friday. **Iraqi Officers Buried in Fallujah*** Hundreds of Iraqis chanting "America is the enemy of God" and shooting in the air on Saturday buried eight of 10 guards apparently shot by U.S. troops who mistook them for resistance fighters. With Fallujah seething, mourners crammed its main mosque where the corpses were kept and local police had to fire warning shots in the air to disperse demonstrators when the first coffin was carried to a cemetery. Sunni Muslim clerics issued a "Declaration by the people of Fallujah" condemning the deaths, announcing three days of mourning, and calling for a general strike on Sunday. Witnesses said a joint patrol of local police and a U.S.-trained security force were chasing thieves shortly after midnight on Friday when U.S. soldiers opened fire on them. **One Iraqi Killed in Nasiriya Protest*** One Iraqi man was shot dead and two others were injured during a protest outside a police station in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah, the Italian central military command said on Saturday. Italian troops were in the police station during the incident, prompting the Italian military to issue a statement. None of the Italians were injured. The statement said a crowd of former policemen wanting their jobs back protested outside the police station. They threw stones at the building and tried to storm it. Iraqi police fired warning shots into the air, causing some of the protesters to shoot at them and in the ensuing confusion three protesters were shot, the statement said. One of the men later died of his injuries, but the injuries of the other two men were not life-threatening. **51 Percent Oppose Bush Request for more Iraq Money: Poll*** Fifty-one percent of Americans are opposed to President George W. Bush's request for an additional 87 billion dollars to fund operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a Newsweek. On September 7, Bush said he will ask Congress for 87 billion dollars to cover military operations and reconstruction in Iraq and Afghanistan over the next year. Twenty-one billion dollars will be set aside for reconstruction in Iraq and Afghanistan, and 66 billion dollars will be earmarked to support US military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries, the White House said. The request is on top of the 79 billion dollars already authorized by Congress for Iraq's reconstruction earlier this year. Forty-two percent of those polled said they favor the additional spending. Fifty-five percent, however, said that Bush administration officials did a poor job in preparing citizens for the cost increase. Bush's overall presidential approval rating slipped one point to 52 percent from a Newsweek poll taken August 21-22. The approval rating for the president's handling of the Iraq situation also slipped to 51 percent from 54 percent in the August poll, and was down from 58 percent in a late July poll. The Newsweek survey of 1,004 adults was taken on September 11 and 12. It has a three-percentage-point margin of error. **PHOTO CAPTION*** Iraqis scream as they fire their machine guns into the air during the funeral of slain Iraqi policemen in Fallujah Saturday Sept. 13, 2003. (AP Photo/Karel Prinsloo)