Britain and the United States reacted coolly to the plans set out Tuesday by France, Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg -- which all opposed the US-British war in Iraq.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair denied opposition claims that the quartet's mini-summit had relegated the EU's biggest military power to the sidelines, and stressed that NATO remained at the heart of Europe's defence.

"The very reason that the meeting was held yesterday is that those countries weren't satisfied with our initiative which tied European defence to NATO," Blair told the House of Commons.

"That's precisely why they felt the need to do what they did yesterday. That's why it wasn't a good idea that we were there," he said.

The four leaders, including French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, decided to set up their own command headquarters for military operations outside the NATO arena.

They also pledged to create a rapid reaction force, centred on a Franco-German brigade, although the EU is establishing its own force numbering 60,000 personnel to respond to regional crises.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell was withering in his response.

"What we need is not more headquarters," he told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "What we need is more capability and fleshing out of the structure and the forces that are already there."

The summit quartet not only opposed the Iraq conflict but also blocked a US attempt to boost NATO member Turkey's defences in the run-up to the war, sparking fury in Washington.

But Powell's comments also highlighted a long-standing US demand for European members of NATO to spend more on defence.

In 2002, according to NATO figures, Germany spent 1.5 percent of its gross domestic product on defence, Belgium 1.3 percent and Luxembourg just 0.8. That compares to 2.4 percent for Britain, and 3.3 for the United States.

In that regard, a pledge by the summit participants to "develop their military capabilities" might have been welcomed by others.

But it came as part of a proposal to create a "European Security and Defence Union" -- a potentially divisive attempt to forge a twin-track EU for core members to deepen their military cooperation.

Russia said it would "follow closely" the foursome's initiative, while EU foreign envoy Javier Solana said their proposals deserved a "favourable, positive and constructive" response.

But Italy, Portugal and Spain, which also backed Washington over Iraq, reacted with dismay, while NATO voiced concerns that the new military command could lead to duplication.

Many of the proposals already have support in the convention drafting an EU constitution, such as an EU arms procurement and design agency.

And Daniel Keohane, a defence analyst at the Centre for European Reform in London, noted that the summit countries had repeatedly stressed their desire to strengthen the European arm of NATO.

"So while there is still some controversy, I think the French and the Germans have reined the Belgians in a bit," he said, after Belgium had called for a permanent military headquarters for the EU seen as rivalling NATO.

"One gets the sense that the French and the Germans went along because the Belgians had stuck with them over Iraq," Keohane added, calling the timing of the summit "appalling".

"Frankly if you don't have the British on board, as well as the Italians and the Spanish and the rest, you're not going to get very far."

SPACE.WIRE