He said the meeting Tuesday in Brussels of Belgian, French, German and Luxembourg leaders who will discuss boosting military cooperation did not seek to create new divisions in Europe.

For them, the Iraqi conflict only underlined a need for more autonomy from the United States in defence matters.

"Everything is being done to act in tight cooperation and in strict harmony with the Atlantic Alliance. We are not starting a rival process but on the contrary avoiding duplication and affirming the responsibility of Europe," De Villepin said on a visit to Prague.

He said the goal was "to reinforce NATO by acting so that Europeans are more able to assume their responsibilities."

Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini warned in a German newspaper interview Monday that the mini-summit risked deepening divisions on the continent.

If "the embryo of an increased military cooperation were to develop in Brussels, I would regard it with a very critical eye," Frattini said.

"If I am to look hypothetically at some time at an increased cooperation on defence policy, I could not imagine that without Britain, the biggest military power in Europe," he told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

He said the summit risked giving the impression of a desire to form a sort of "micro-territory" in the European Union, to the exclusion of other members and the detriment of NATO.

SPACE.WIRE