Blair meets Spanish ally on Iraq

Mr Blair and Mr Aznar were close allies on Iraq

UK Prime Minister Tony Blair is meeting Spanish leader Jose Maria Aznar, a key ally on the war on Iraq, for talks.

Mr Blair and Mr Aznar are meeting at the prime minister's country retreat of Chequers on Sunday to discuss Iraq and various European issues.

The meeting comes a day after "progress" was made in an effort to find common ground over Iraq between Mr Blair, Germany's Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and French President Jacques Chirac.

Mr Blair and Mr Aznar are discussing efforts to secure a new United Nations Security Council resolution on Iraq.

The proposed European constitution was also likely to be on the agenda.

And Mr Aznar was expected to brief Mr Blair on his recent visit to Libya.

We still do not agree fully on Iraq but all three of us agree it should be dealt with in the UN President Chirac Analysis: Splits on show

On Saturday Mr Blair sought French and German backing for a US-drafted resolution currently being discussed at the UN.

America wants a greater role for the UN and a multinational peacekeeping force, while seeking to retain overall control.

Following the Berlin talks the leaders said the biggest sticking point was over how much of a role the UN should play.

Mr Blair said he was optimistic that agreement could be reached.

But Mr Chirac made it clear that some differences remained.

"Our views are not quite convergent at the moment," he said.

He called for the UN to be given a "far more significant and more operational role".

And he reiterated the French position that there should be a transfer of sovereignty to the Iraqi people within months.

It is necessary to make sure that political responsibility is transferred to an Iraqi authority as soon as possible Gerhard Schroeder Summit in quotes

France and Germany were strong opponents of the war on Iraq, while Mr Blair was US President George W Bush's closest ally.

The Berlin meeting was the first time the three leaders had met for trilateral talks since before the war.

Also on the agenda at the summit was European defence, the Middle East and the European Union constitution.

The German leader reiterated that he and President Chirac wanted the constitution passed in full.

Chancellor Schroeder said all three were in agreement that Europe's military capability, along with that of Nato, should be strengthened and that there was "no alternative" to the roadmap to peace in the Middle East.

A Franco-German initiative designed to stimulate economic growth in the EU was also endorsed by Britain.

Chancellor Schroeder said the three leaders had agreed that the economic plan could be "pursued as a trio".

And Mr Blair added there was a "huge degree of consensus between us".