In an interview with BBC's Breakfast with Frost program, Bremer said: "We have a plan, but it's a difficult plan to execute."

"We will do our best and we will succeed. I do not know when that will be," he said, adding law and order had to be restored to ensure that Iraq could be rebuilt.

Progress is being made in rebuilding infrastructure in Iraq, the civil administrator said, but warning US and British forces in Iraq would suffer further casualties until supporters of ousted Saddam Hussein were stamped out.

"It is unfortunately the case, we will continue to take casualties. But there is no strategic threat to the coalition here," Bremer said.

He said the first priority in establishing an Iraqi government was to rewrite the Iraqi constitution to allow democratic elections to take place.

Bremer's comment came amid concerns that security in Iraq was deteriorating day by day.

Following the death of six British troops in southern Iraq last week, two US military police soldiers were wounded in Baghdad Sunday in an explosion that targeted a US convoy.

US and British troops in Iraq have come under repeated attacks since US President George W. Bush announced on May 1 that major combat operations in Iraq was over. Since then, more than 20 US troops have been killed in the attacks.

(Xinhua News Agency June 30, 2003)