WASHINGTON (AFP) - The U.S. government may abandon attempts to get a UN vote on its plan for the future government in Iraq because of opposition from other Security Council members, the New York Times reported Wednesday.

The government of President George W. Bush "has pulled back from seeking a quick vote endorsing the proposal and may shelve it altogether," the paper reported, quoting administration officials.

On Tuesday, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations John Negroponte said Washington stands behind its draft UN resolution on Iraq, despite vocal opposition from other countries, and will not make major changes to it.

The U.S. measure would authorize a multinational force in post-war Iraq, which Washington hopes will be enough to convince skeptical nations to contribute cash and troops.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said the United Nations could not accept the limited political role offered under the deal.

France, Germany and Russia have already said they wanted changes in how the transfer of power in Iraq would be handled. "We don't want to play this game for a long, long time," a senior administration official told the Times. "This is as much a choice for the Council as it is for us. They can be multilateral and be part of it, or they can tell us to do it ourselves."

After Annan's statement, countries that seemed ready to support Washington "became leery about supporting something he opposes," the official said.