United Nations - UN chief Kofi Annan said most Middle East leaders he recently conferred with considered the Iraq war "a real disaster", but felt the United States should not pull out just yet.

"Most of the leaders I spoke to felt that the invasion of Iraq and its aftermath have been a real disaster for them ... They believe it has destabilised the region," Annan said during a wide-ranging press conference on his recent trip abroad.

However, he added that many of the same leaders wanted the Americans to stay in Iraq until the security situation improved, pointing out that "having created the problem they cannot walk away".

US cannot stay or leave

Other leaders, notably in Iran, felt that "the presence of the US is a problem and that the US should leave, and if the US were to decide to leave they would help them," Annan said.

"So in a way the US finds itself in a position where it cannot stay and it cannot leave," he said.

Reaction from the White House was swift.

"I'm not going to engage in a further disputation with the secretary general of the United Nations, but we disagree with the characterisation," White House spokesperson Tony Snow said, while acknowledging that the "sectarian violence" in Iraq.

Israel, Lebanon ceasefire

Annan, who returned on Friday from a 12-day tour of the Middle East, said he was encouraged by the seriousness with which Lebanon and Israel were pressing ahead with implementation of security council resolution 1701 aimed at shoring up last month's truce.

However, he said the war between Israel and Hezbollah was a "wake-up call" for the Middle East that highlighted the need to tackle other pressing regional issues.

He threw his weight behind plans to hold a security council ministerial session next week on a comprehensive peace in the broader Middle East.

He said the Arab League's proposal for the meeting, despite opposition from the United States and Israel, "should not bother anyone".

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