"The French president called the prime minister a short time ago and during a long and friendly conversation they notably discussed the Italian European Union presidency," Berlusconi's press office said.

The conversation came a day after the leaders of France, Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg -- which all opposed the US-led war in Iraq -- issued a call for measures to boost Europe's self-reliance in defence matters.

At a mini-summit in Brussels, the four leaders decided to set up their own command headquarters for military operations outside the NATO arena, drawing a scathing response from Washington and several EU members.

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

Although Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini downplayed the importance of the summit, Defence Minister Antonio Martino said it would be unacceptable for the four states to take decisions on EU defence policy without consulting others.

Italy is due to take over the rotating presidency of the EU in July.

SPACE.WIRE