The torrid exchanges between European Union members over the Iraq war and associated transatlantic tensions may have been described as "a storm in a tea cup" but there were calm waters off the coast of Greece on Saturday when EU foreign ministers met on a luxury yacht to discuss rebuilding relations.

Moored in the harbor of the most easterly Greek island, Kastellorizo, the ministers from 25 current and future member states sat down in the wake of the Union's most bitter division and agreed to draft the EU's first common European security strategy in a bid to avoid future damaging diplomatic rifts. The ministers also pledged that current plans by the United States to create a multinational stabilization force in Iraq would not divide the European Union.

Proving how damaging the common defense issue could be to Europe, the first point of discussion was a clearing of the air over a controversial plan by France, Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg to set up a joint planning-and-command military headquarters separate from NATO. According to an EU source, the potentially explosive confrontation between British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and French Foreign Minister Dominic de Villepin, sparring partners over Iraq, was resolved swiftly with both agreeing that the issue had been blown out of proportion.

Call for security draft by June

It appeared to be all friends together in the European club, on the surface at least. The discussion quickly returned to the main agendas with ministers finally agreeing on the need for a common threat assessment on issues such as weapons of mass destruction, terrorism, failed states, regional conflicts and refugee flows. The consensus was that Europe should be able to anticipate future crises better and ultimately have a joint doctrine on when the use of force may be appropriate. As a result of the discussions, Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana was called upon to draft a European security strategy in time for an EU summit in Greece in mid-June.

Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou, who questioned whether Europe had done enough to protect its citizens from external threats in what he called "a newly dangerous world", highlighted the need for cohesion. Papandreou told the delegation, "It is a very real threat in a world of globalization, irresponsible states, deep global inequalities, fanaticism, terrorism and proliferating weapons of mass destruction."

The Greek Foreign Minister added that Europe's social security has been brought to a certain extent through the payment by others for its military security, making a thinly veiled reference to the United States. When the use of force had come up in the past to back diplomatic efforts to solve world conflicts, he said, the United States had been left with the hard choices.

The talks soon turned to the question of security in Iraq and U.S. plans to divide Iraq into three sectors, to be commanded by the United States, Britain and Poland with troops from at least seven other European countries also involved, including Denmark, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Ukraine and Bulgaria. With France and Germany -- the most ardent anti-war countries throughout the whole crisis -- opposed to setting up any new force in Iraq without a clear United Nations mandate, many observers feared that this subject would once again cause ructions.

EU must prepare for Iraq involvement

George Papandreou once again addressed the attending ministers, insisting: "We have in no way felt this as an issue to divide us. Our overriding concern should be what we can do now for Iraq. At the same time, we must prepare for later involvement as and when political and legal conditions permit."

It appears that France and Germany, along with Russia, will not be invited to take part in any involvement, be it sooner or later. All three countries were left out of an initial planning conference on the Iraq security strategy that took place in London on Wednesday.

However, both France and Germany endorsed the U.S. plan along with the rest of the EU contingent. According to sources, German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer told the assembly that a stabilization force by a "coalition of the willing" did not diminish Berlin's wish for the United Nations to play a key role in rebuilding Iraq. "This is not a new situation and is not in contradiction with our discussion about giving the United Nations a role in postwar Iraq."

Common policy will help heal US rift

Britain's Foreign Secretary Jack Straw told reporters that no final decision had been made on the deployment of a multinational force to stabilize Iraq. However, he added, it was clear that several current and future EU member states would take part. "What we want is a self-confident common foreign and security policy within Europe. That will obviously, if we have it, enhance our relationship with the United States."

"But we have to work as an effective and positive partner with the United States and aim to minimize and explain differences rather than seeking unnecessary confrontation."