And the scandal over US and British assertions about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq took a fresh turn Friday as British media said a body found west of London was that of missing ex-UN arms inspector Dr David Kelly.

The furore over the arms expert's death came a day after Blair delivered a key address to the US Congress here, asserting that "history will forgive" the United States and Britain for waging war on Iraq even if, in the end, it remains unproven whether Baghdad was developing weapons of mass destruction.

But the White House acknowledged Friday that US President George W. Bush had cited a British claim that Iraq had sought uranium from Africa despite the US State Department labeling the charge "highly dubious."

The White House released portions of a top-secret National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq as part of an aggressive effort to counter questions following Bush's inclusion of the uranium from Africa charge in a key January speech to make the case for a US war on Iraq.

In New York, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said that a timeframe must be given for restoration of Iraq's sovereignty.

"I have kept at the forefront of my thinking the interests of the Iraqi people, especially their demand for the early restoration of Iraqi sovereignty," Annan said in a report, to be presented Tuesday to the Security Council.

"There is a pressing need to set out a clear and specific sequence of events leading to the end of military occupation," Annan said. "It is important that Iraqis are able to see a clear timetable leading to the full restoration of sovereignty."

The secretary general said his special envoy to Iraq Sergio Vieira de Mello had raised UN concerns with the US-led Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), headed by the US-appointed administrator Paul Bremer.

"The principal message" is that "democracy could not be imposed from outside" and that it must originate inside Iraq, Annan said in the 22-page report.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon said it largely agreed with an independent study to assess progress in rebuilding post-war Iraq that sounds the alarm over the desperate need to boost the nation's security situation.

The study, compiled by the Center for Strategic and International Studies at US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and US interim civilian administrator Paul Bremer's request, says that "huge challenges" remain in Iraq.

"We do think the next 12 months will be decisive," said Frederick Barton, the lead author of the report, speaking Friday at a Pentagon press briefing. "We are very worried about the coming three months."