KUWAIT. Feb 1: A US official coordinating efforts to change Iraq’s rulers said on Sunday he hoped regional rival Iran would cooperate with the campaign to topple Saddam Hussein, reports Reuter.

Frank Ricciardone. special representative for transition in Iraq, also called on all regional states to cooperate with the United States and Iraqi groups to achieve their goal.

Iranian inability to speak (with the US) is unfortunate but we hope that all neighbouring countries have the same stake in seeing Iraq get back on its feet, to be free independent.’' he told reporters in Kuwait.

Iran, the 'region's non-Arab power which fought against Iraq for eight years in the 1980s. refuses direct dealings with the United States and often condemns American military presence in the Gulf and repeated strikes against Iraq.

Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi, speaking in Switzerland, said on Sunday the United States and Britain should stop using military force against Iraq and instead try to help force an international consensus on how to and the crisis.

Ricciardone met Iraqi opposition groups in London on Friday. the first session in a process the United States hopes will end with Saddam's downfall.

But Washington is sending out mixed signals to its allies in the region, some of whom are concerned the plan might backfire and result in the division or Iraq into a Shi'ite south, a Kurdish north and a Sunni enclave in the centre,

"I don’t seen an opposition group that has the viability to overthrow Saddam at this point," Marine Corps Gen Anthony Zinni told a hearing last week of the Senate Armed Services Committee, whose mem-bers advocated building up the resistance groups.

Zinni is the commander of US forces in the region which engage in now almost dally military clashes with Iraq in the Western-imposed no-fly zone in the north and south of Iraq.

Ricciardone is accompanying US Assistant Secretary of State Martin Indyk in his talks With Kuwait's leaders, Indyk arrived on Sunday after talks in Bahrain and Qatar. He flies to Oman today then visits the United Arab Emirates.