Belgium, France, Germany and Luxembourg -- who all opposed the US-led war on Iraq -- called at a controversial mini-summit in Brussels for measures including a new European headquarters to command military operations independent of NATO.

The proposals have sparked disquiet in Washington and across Europe, despite reassurances from French President Jacques Chirac that they were not intended to undermine the US-European alliance or the 19-nation military alliance.

British Defence Minister Geoffrey Hoon on Tuesday urged the four European states not to disturb the harmony between the EU and NATO, saying a small group of nations could not go their own way.

"I stress the importance of the consistency about the harmony of EU and NATO defence, which must be a result of a consensus between all of the members and the new members of the EU," Hoon said while on a visit to Hungary.

"I want to see an improvement in European military capacity, as improved European military capacity will be good both for NATO and the EU," said Hoon, whose country is the chief ally of the United States on Iraq.

With the war in Iraq all but over, British Prime Minister Tony Blair had called upon his fellow Europeans on Monday to undertake a serious rethink of the region's relationship with the United States.

"I think it is perfectly possible for Europe to become more powerful but as an ally and partner of the United States of America," he said.

Madrid, Rome and Lisbon, which had also sided with Washington over the Iraq war, reacted with dismay at the four-nation proposals.

Spain's Foreign Minister Ana Palacio forcefully condemned the initiative, saying that four countries had no right to set EU policy on their own.

"European security and defence policy cannot be set by three or four (member states)," Palacio told the Spanish parliament, adding that an authentic common European policy had to come from EU institutions.

Palacio said the Brussels meeting, called "at a time of controversy, is also a divisive factor within the Union and could prove counterproductive."

Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini played down the significance of the summit, calling it "a contribution, a contribution among others".

But his remarks at a press conference during an official visit to Belgrade came as Italian Defence Minister Antonio Martino, known for his strongly pro-US stance, warned that it would be unacceptable for the four countries to take decisions on EU defence policy without consulting others.

Portuguese Defence Minister Paulo Portas said any new EU military command should complement -- and not duplicate -- existing NATO structures.

"With respect to military capacity, we and the generality of European nations are in favour of complementarity and not duplication of means with NATO," he said.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell meanwhile said that the United States saw no need for the proposed new EU military command.

He downplayed the significance of the call, noting that only four of the 15 EU members had signed on to the proposal.

"Four of the nations of the union have come together and created some sort of a plan to develop some sort of a headquarters," Powell told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in a dismissive fashion.

"What we need is not more headquarters," he said. "What we need is more capability and fleshing out of the structure and the forces that are already there."

NATO voiced concerns that a new military command could lead to duplication.

"We are concerned about the risk of unnecessary duplications," said NATO spokesman Yves Brodeur.

But the European Union's foreign policy chief Javier Solana described the four-state initiative as "positive".

European Commission President Romano Prodi also welcomed the proposals, saying he had "greatly appreciated" the declaration.

"I am happy that the most important message (from the four states) is to leave the door open to other EU members and to cooperate with NATO," Prodi told reporters in Brussels.

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