Nato Secretary General Lord Robertson has appealed to alliance members to stick together in "dangerous times".

He called on Nato's 19 member states not to let disagreements over the situation in Iraq harm the organisation.

The enemies of the alliance are watching very closely indeed

Lord Robertson, Nato Secretary General

At the Nato defence minister's meeting in Warsaw, US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said he had received unsolicited support from several Nato allies for President Bush's stand on Iraq.

Defence officials from the 19 Nato countries have been holding two days of talks in the Polish capital, with Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov joining them on Wednesday.

Correspondents said that the issue of Iraq overshadowed the meeting, which also heard a US proposal for a new 20,000-strong military rapid reaction force.

Lord Robertson said: "There is a huge premium on alliance unity, especially in these dangerous times.

"The enemies of the alliance are watching very closely indeed," he added.

Strained relations

The relationship between the US and Germany has suffered over recent weeks, with the strident opposition of Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder to attacking Iraq and reported comments by a German minister comparing the methods of President Bush to those of Hitler.

Mr Rumsfeld gave the Nato meeting "nine or 10" out of 10

British Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon said: "It's important that we make some effort to bridge that gap."

Mr Rumsfeld blamed scheduling problems for the lack of a bilateral meeting with his German counterpart Peter Struck and said he meant no disrespect by leaving an official dinner before Mr Struck made a speech.

However, speaking to journalists, he gave this advice to Germany on how to repair relations with Washington.

"If you're in a hole, stop digging."

He then added to the reporters' bemusement: "I'm not sure I should have said that. Let's pretend I never said that."

Mr Rumsfeld also said he had not gone to Warsaw to seek support for the US policy on Iraq, but had found it forthcoming anyway.

Asked by reporters if he had received offers of political or military support, he said: "The answer is yes. People did come up to me and indicate in a variety of different ways the views of their government."

Classified briefing

Mr Rumsfeld briefed the ministers on evidence that the US believes ties Saddam Hussein's Iraq to the al-Qaeda network of Osama Bin Laden.

He said the US objective was to stop another attack such as that of 11 September.

"Whether that threat might come from a terrorist regime or a terrorist network is beside the point.

"We provided our allies with an intelligence briefing on the Iraqi threat that it poses to the world," he said.

Nato

Mutual defence pact formed in 1949 at the height of the Cold War Its 19 members include Turkey and Canada Ten more European states have applied to join

Spanish Defence Minister Federico said after the classified briefing: "It showed the situation is really dangerous; the international community has to react."

The involvement of Russian officials in the talks - the first time Nato has met in a former Soviet bloc country - came as a result of a co-operation deal signed between Russia and Nato in May.

Mr Ivanov expressed Russia's concerns about Chechen separatists sneaking into Russia across its border with Georgia.

He told a Polish newspaper that he had evidence that Georgian authorities - who have been receiving help from the US - were not fighting terrorism and said some were even helping guerrillas.

Mr Rumsfeld said the US would not back Russia taking military action in the area.

For this part, Mr Ivanov said weapons inspectors should be allowed a few months to check the situation in Iraq before any military campaign there should be considered.