The chief of the US Central Command, General Tommy Franks, said on Sunday that American military operations in Iraq are coming to an end.

"We are in this transition from decisive combat into providing governance for the Iraqi people of their own choosing," Gen Franks said in television interviews.

The general, who is also the chief of the coalition forces involved in the invasion, said he has invited Iraqis from both inside and outside the country to a meeting in Nasiriya on Tuesday.

"What we want is an organisational meeting where people can come together and begin, themselves, to decide how they want in the future to determine an interim government," he said.

Gen Franks said that there is still work to be done in eliminating the hardcore elements in Baghdad.

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