Ottawa — The U.S. government wants to know whether Canada can contribute its ships, planes, light-armoured vehicles and JTF2 special forces, among other assets, to a potential military strike against Iraq.

As part of initial contacts with about 50 of its allies, the Bush administration has asked what each could offer if current diplomatic efforts to disarm Iraq fail and the U.S. military leads coalition forces to oust President Saddam Hussein.

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell sent a letter to the Canadian government on Friday listing possible contributions to the coalition.

The letter expressed interest in the Canadian Forces' Coyote light-armoured vehicles, units usually used for reconnaissance and surveillance, which were successfully deployed in Afghanistan this year.

It also asks about Canada's Joint Task Force 2 special forces, which were involved in a number of key operations in Afghanistan, including the capture of suspected al-Qaeda members.

Other forces of interest to the United States are Canada's planes and ships currently assigned abroad that could be transferred to an Iraqi conflict.

Canada's forces in that category include Hercules transport planes, frigates and Aurora maritime patrol-and-surveillance aircraft.

Prime Minister Jean Chrétien hinted yesterday that Canada would offer some kind of assistance in the event of war, though officials said that not all of the items listed would necessarily be made available.

The Canadian government has yet to respond to the U.S. request, and has not indicated when it will do so. The letter itself has not been released.

Mr. Chrétien insisted that the U.S. request remains hypothetical and that everyone hopes that the United Nations will find a peaceful solution to the crisis.

He also signalled that Canada is likely to keep up with tradition and enlist its armed forces in a UN-sanctioned military intervention in Iraq. Mr. Chrétien said that Canada has been a member of most recent coalition forces.

"We are with them in Afghanistan, we were with them in Kosovo, we are in Bosnia, so we have always been in missions, at the forefront," he said after a cabinet meeting.

"We will see what we've got, what we need. We have already ships there, we have planes there, we have troops there, and they are doing very well. So it will be the same thing."

Defence Minister John McCallum said the United States has "laid out a range of options" that still need to be studied.

He acknowledged that the Canadian Armed Forces are stretched, saying that some of the options prepared by the United States "are easier to meet or more realistic than others."

Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham said he is hopeful that UN arms inspectors, now back in Iraq after more than three years, will be successful.

"My personal view is we're in the best position to avoid this at this time. Because of the strong resolution [adopted by the UN Security Council], we have a strong, clear signal to Saddam Hussein that he has to co-operate.

"In the event that the Security Council authorizes action against Iraq, we will have to look at exactly what we could contribute; and the Defence Minister and myself and the Prime Minister will discuss that in the days ahead."

Two officers involved in the war in Afghanistan testified before the Senate yesterday that their troops met the highest standard in their deployment. Lieutenant-Colonel Pat Stogran and Brigadier-General Michel Gauthier made it clear, however, that the forces are struggling to meet their goals on existing funding.

Col. Stogran said that the Canadian army had to "pull out all the stops" to ensure that troops in Afghanistan were equipped with necessary night-vision equipment.

Gen. Gauthier said that Canada could make a contribution in Iraq, but at a cost. "That's the judgment that will have to be made at the end of the day, is balancing the need, what's in the national interest, and on the downside, what sort of pain, if there is going to be pain, would there be in deploying a force?"

During a stop in Ottawa last week, Mr. Powell said that the United States is looking to allies such as Canada to participate in any military strike in Iraq.

"We would put together a coalition of like-minded nations. At the appropriate time, we would talk to Canada about it," he said.