That is not the kind of step a new president should be taking two months into his term, before his administration has had a chance to review its missile defense options or conduct an initial round of diplomatic consultations.

Additional administrative presence in Africa will only occur via "full diplomatic consultation and agreement with potential host nations."

The two sides also agreed to hold annual diplomatic consultations between foreign ministers, and to set up a joint ministerial committee on economic and scientific cooperation and a joint working group on the boundary issue.

Michael McCurry, a State Department spokesman, said, "While we have had extensive diplomatic consultations with Cairo on the subject of the sheik and his detention, any discussion of extradition is entirely premature."

One French official described the round of diplomatic and military consultations held since President Jacques Chirac made his proposal for tougher action last week as "a failure" so far.

There is an atmosphere of unreality and disconnection between the diplomatic consultations here and the killing, desperate food and water shortages, and a sense of abandonment among civilians caught up in the war.

The Balkan Pact provided for regular military and diplomatic consultations.

Diplomatic Consultations Mr. Redman also announced plans for diplomatic consultations in coming days and sought to resolve apparent contradictions in the Administration's Central American policy.

Tymoshenko noted that Ukraine is holding multilateral diplomatic consultations, with the aim of establishing how Kosovo independence is perceived, which will allow it to determine its stand in this issue.

But he said that Mr. Bush must first do more diplomatic consultation and political preparation for military action, and that before ordering an attack the administration should try to force an inspection routine on Iraq.