The United Nations security council is set to back a new resolution on the transfer of sovereignty to an interim Iraqi government.

France has announced that it is giving its backing to the draft resolution, which is expected to be adopted in New York later on Tuesday.

As the talks continued, there were further explosions in two Iraqi cities on Tuesday morning.

Two suicide bombings in Mosul and Baquba were reported to have killed at least 14 people and injured more than a hundred.

One US soldier is believed to be among the dead.

The bombings are the latest in a series of attacks which are expected to escalate in the run-up to the handover of sovereignty on June 30.

The new UN draft resolution clarifies the relationship between the interim Iraqi government and foreign forces.

France's agreement removes one of the biggest obstacles to the smooth passage of the resolution in the security council.

The French had expressed concern that the Iraqi leaders would not have a say in military operations.

French foreign minister Michel Barnier said that while France still had reservations about the draft, it would vote in favour.

He said he had been assured that the coalition forces would consult the interim government about military decisions.

The German ambassador to the UN, Gunter Pleuger, said that coalition leaders had made sufficient concessions and he could "live with that".

Foreign secretary Jack Straw said the political obstacles to the transfer had been removed with the announcement of the new Iraqi Cabinet and the growing security council consensus.

"There will be some difficult times ahead," he told MPs in a Commons statement on Monday.

"But the path to a free and democratic Iraq is now clear."

Downing Street said it was "very happy with the language" of the latest draft.

"The day the resolution is passed will be a good day for Iraq," the official spokesman said.

Admission

The government had to make an uncomfortable admission this afternoon.

Defence minister Adam Ingram admitted in the Commons that military police were investigating 61 instances of ill treatment of Iraqi prisoners by British soldiers.

He had originally told the Commons the figure was 33.