"We've made great progress towards normalising relations between the two countries," Struck told a press conference after the meeting, which took place on the sidelines of a NATO defence ministers' seminar.

Following deep differences between the United States and Germany over the need for military action against Iraq, Struck enjoyed what he described as "a friendly working atmosphere", both with Rumsfeld and US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage.

Armitage had thanked Germany for the presence of its troops in Afghanistan, Struck added, before going on to meet US national security advisor Condoleezza Rice.

Neither Rumsfeld nor Armitage spoke at the press conference.

Despite Struck's upbeat comments, substantial differences still remain between the United States on one side and Germany and France on the other over who should play the central role in the reconstruction of post-Saddam Iraq.

The two European countries believe that the United Nations, rather than the United States should have "general responsibility" over Iraq.

Both nations also opposed military force against Iraq and spoke against UN resolutions that would have authorised war. German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder angered US President George W. Bush by using anti-US statements during his election campaign last September.

Struck, however, noted before his meeting that Germany and the United States still had good cooperation "in several places around the world" including Afghanistan, the Balkans and in the US war against terrorism.

But he acknowledged that he had received no request from US officials for Germany to participate in the stabilisation force for Iraq that the United States and its allies are trying to organise.

Polish Defence Minister Jerzy Smajdzinski told The Washington Times in an interview published Monday that he would like German and Danish troops in the sector of Iraq that his country is expected to patrol.

The sector that will come under Polish control is one of three to four administrative zones that the United States expects to create in its interim administration of Iraq.

Smajdzinski told the Times he would like to see a force of 7,000 troops that would include 1,500-2,200 Polish soldiers, employed in his sector.

But sources close to the Struck's delegation said a German deployment was unlikely, given that the country already has 9,000 troops deployed on missions abroad.

In Warsaw, Smajdzinski's deputy Janusz Zemke said that Asian countries, possibly India, Pakistan or the Philippines, could also take part in the stabilization force.

Struck did not comment on his efforts to "dissipate misunderstandings" after Germany, Belgium, France and Luxembourg last week held a mini-summit in Brussels to discuss setting up a European Defence and Security Union, independent of NATO.

The United States said such a development would weaken NATO unity.

The Washington seminar, organised by the conservative Center for Strategic and International Studies, has assembled 11 defence ministers, mainly from eastern Europe.

SPACE.WIRE