Chirac rejects call to rally round US

Jacques Chirac today rebuffed calls by Tony Blair for Europe to mend relations with the United States following the reelection of George Bush.

Mr Blair had urged his fellow European leaders to accept the "reality" of the US presidential result.

"We have got to move on," Mr Blair said at the EU summit in Brussels. But less than an hour later Mr Chirac bluntly rejected the appeal for unity.

In a sign of deep-seated divisions in the EU, the French president called for a stronger Europe to counter the Bush White House.

"The affirmation of a strong American politics leads naturally to the necessity to reinforce Europe politically and economically," Mr Chirac said. "Europe today has more than ever the need to reinforce itself."

His comment came amid reports that the leaders of France, Germany and Spain met secretly last night to plot their response to the US election result.

The meeting is a blow to Mr Blair who had said Europe should rally round America and Iraq. He had accused fellow European leaders of being in denial about the US election result.

"It's important we work with America and the Iraqi government to bring stability," he insisted.