Powell (top) and Annan

Washington, Dec. 4 (Reuters): US secretary of state Colin Powell called Kofi Annan a good UN secretary-general yesterday after days in which Washington chose not to defend the diplomat against a US senator's demand he resign.

It was unclear whether Powell's comments signalled genuine support for Annan, who is under fire over suspected corruption in the UN's now-defunct Iraq oil-for-food humanitarian programme, or simply aimed to soften the widespread impression that Washington has no great desire to back the UN chief.

'Secretary-general Annan is a good secretary-general and the US has tried to support him and the UN in every way that we can,' Powell said.

It was the first positive comment from a top US official since Senator Norm Coleman, a Minnesota Republican investigating the oil-for-food programme, said Annan should resign because of suspected abuses.

Powell, echoing the view of US President George W. Bush ' who avoided any endorsement of Annan this week ' said people should wait until congressional and independent probes of the programme are complete before reaching conclusions.

'We are deeply troubled by what happened (with) the oil-for-food programme. There can be no question in anyone's mind that the programme was corrupted by (former Iraqi leader) Saddam Hussein,' he said.

'These investigations are not of Mr Annan, they are of the oil-for-food programme, so let's wait and see what the results of these investigations are.'

The concerted US decision not to endorse Annan for most of the week contrasts with support from nations such as Britain, Germany, France, Russia, and China, which have rallied around the UN secretary-general.