The United States has developed plans for a possible post-war Iraq that would divide the country into three occupation zones, utilize Iraqi citizens from democratic countries and employ the current army in reconstruction, senior Pentagon officials said Tuesday.

The United States would assign three U.S. civilians to head the zones -northern, southern and one exclusively for Baghdad - and lead the transition to Iraqi self-government, the officials told reporters at a briefing at the Pentagon.

"Our goal from day one has been to put together a solid set of plans that we could implement with a goal of going into the country, implementing those plans, staying as long as necessary to be able to stand up a government in Iraq and get out as fast as we can," one official said.

The U.S. government in January established the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance to head the U.S. effort in a post-war Iraq. The office is run by the Pentagon but includes several other agencies.

The officials said that plans call for keeping the U.N. oil- for-food programme in place to oversee Iraqi oil revenues, which are to supply civilians with food and medicine. But they also expressed optimism that eventually some of the oil revenue would help pay for the reconstruction and to build schools and hospitals.

There were reports earlier this week that the U.S. Agency for International Development has asked large engineering firms to bid on about 900 million dollars in infrastructure projects.

The U.S. plan calls for hiring Iraqis living outside the country to return to the 17 provinces to advise on what is needed to restore transportation, build schools, communications and other infrastructure, the officials said. They added that dissidents from the Iraqi National Congress have not been asked to participate.

Governments set up in the Kurdish autonomous areas in the north would be left intact in the short term with plans to eventually integrate them with a central government in Baghdad, the officials said.

The U.S. government wants to keep those who work in the ministries employed and intends to ensure that they receive salaries to continue running the country and the ministries.

Some Iraqis who are currently living in run more efficiently.

"The reason we're bringing them in is because they have lived in a democratic country. They understand the democratic process," one official said.

The United States plans on keeping the national army together and keep paying them to help with reconstruction. "The regular army has the skill sets to match the work that needs to be done in construction," the official said - Sapa-DPA