U.S. DENIES BAGHDAD HEAVY WEAPONS BAGHDAD ø Iraq has accused the United States of denying Baghdad's security forces heavy weapons required to fight Sunni insurgents.

Iraqi officials said that despite repeated requests the U.S. military has refused to deliver heavy weapons to Iraq's military and security forces.

They said the U.S. military removed weapons from platforms and vehicles donated to Iraq's armed forces. Jordan and the United Arab Emirates have donated combat vehicles, but officials said the heavy weapons on these platforms were removed.

The disclosure of Iraq's request for heavy weapons came amid the bloodiest attacks in months in Baghdad. At least 50 people were killed on Tuesday in a car bombing -- attributed to Abu Mussib Al Zarqawi ø next to a police station filled with 200 police applicants. Since Sept. 12, about 160 people have been killed in Sunni insurgency attacks in Iraq.

Officials said the police have become the key target of Sunni insurgents, a trend that has hampered recruitment efforts. They said that more than 240 people were killed in Iraq since May in strikes that targeted police facilities. From April 2003 to May 2004, 710 Iraqi police were killed in attacks.

Still, officials said, the United States has refused to provide Iraqi security forces with heavy weapons required to fight Sunni or Shi'ite insurgents. They quoted U.S. military commanders as saying the delivery of heavy weapons would come at a later stage when Iraqi forces were deemed as sufficiently trained and capable of independent missions.

So far, the U.S. military has removed machine guns from armored personnel carriers sent by several Arab states, officials said. They said the U.S. military also ensured the removal of machine guns from 50 Russian-origin BTR-90 armored personnel carriers donated by Jordan and delivered in August.

Iraq has pressed Jordan for surplus main battle tanks for Baghdad's new military. But officials said the U.S. military was expected to either block the transfer or ensure the removal of all lethal systems from the tanks.

"The Americans don't have confidence in us and feel that any weapon delivered could be transferred to the terrorists," an Iraqi official said. "So, it's a vicious cycle where we can't protect ourselves or go on missions and then we're blamed for poor performance."

Iraq also has reached out to several former East Bloc countries for Soviet-origin platforms and weapons. The officials said the potential suppliers have included the Czech Republic, Poland and Russia.

Iraqi Culture Minister Mufid Jazayri appealed to the Czech Republic for heavy weapons during his visit to Prague in September. Other senior Iraqi officials, including Water Resources Minister Abdul-Latif Rashid, have made similar appeals during recent visits to the Czech Republic.

The Czech Republic and Poland have been members of the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq. In August, Russia was also approached by Iraqi officials for weapons and military equipment. So far, none of these countries have announced an agreement to sell heavy weapons to Baghdad.

"Any possible sale of weapons to Iraq will be subjected to the standard licence procedure under the internationally acknowledged code, in order to guarantee that they would not be abused" the Czech Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

So far, Iraqi security forces have received such equipment as semi-automatic rifles, radios, uniforms, vehicles and body armor. Officials said the U.S.-led coalition has set a requirement for the deployment of 290,000 assault rifles, 24,000 vehicles, 75,000 radios, and more than 190,000 pieces of body armor by both the Iraqi military and security forces.

The requirement does not include mortars, artillery, rocket-propelled grenades or anti-tank missiles.

On Tuesday, the Bush administration announced that $3.46 billion of an $18.4 billion Iraqi reconstruction fund would be diverted to support Iraq's military and security forces. Officials said the increase in security spending would result in the training of an additional 45,000 Iraqi police officers, 16,000 border control officers, and 20 National Guard brigades.

Iraq has also appealed to NATO for training of Baghdad's military and police. The alliance was expected to decide on Wednesday on a plan to expand its current mission of 40 NATO trainers in Baghdad.