French, German, Polish leaders meet

A meeting of the leaders of France, Germany and Poland has failed to resolve disagreements over the expansion of the European Union.

The Polish president, Aleksander Kwasniewshki, told reporters there had been no detailed discussion of German proposals for a seven-year waiting period before citizens of new members can have free movement of labour.

And President Chirac of France ruled out early reform of the Union's common agricultural policy.

But both Mr Chirac and Chancellor Schroeder said Poland would be in the first wave of new countries to join -- though they didn't say when this would be.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service