By William Horsley BBC European Affairs correspondent

The EU's role in Iraq is far from co-ordinated

The official purpose of the two-day meeting of European Union leaders in Athens was the signing of an accession treaty admitting 10 new countries, mostly from the former Eastern bloc, to the union.

But the key meetings on the fringes of the formal event were inevitably focused on the aftermath of military conflict in Iraq.

The summit ended with a joint statement, calling for a "central role" for the United Nations in the setting up of a new government and urging the coalition military forces to ensure peace and security in the interim.

But the role of the EU itself is far from co-ordinated, as various European states have responded in their own way to the US-led coalition's actions on the ground in Iraq.

The internal differences and lack of united leadership in the EU have been on public show at this meeting.

Uncertainty

A joint statement on Iraq was drafted with Wednesday's date but only appeared on Thursday.

Behind the scenes there is uncertainty about the intentions of US President George W Bush's administration

It contained no specific proposals on the divisive issues of political and economic reconstruction in Iraq, though it did call for a central role for the UN in the process leading towards self-government.

Afterwards, Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi complained that the text had not been properly discussed by ministers of the 15 EU governments.

Diplomats say legal and political arguments over the coalition's role in taking key decisions on Iraq's administration and reconstruction may take weeks or even months to resolve.

Behind the scenes there is uncertainty about the intentions of US President George W Bush's administration.

The UN Secretary General , Kofi Annan, who was in Athens throughout the summit, did his best to conceal his frustration after numerous meetings.

His spokesman, Fred Eckhard, called on the US Government to set out a clear plan for the UN in reconstructing Iraq.

Nato bypassed

He said until that had been done, it was pointless to speculate about the kind of role the UN might play.

Berlusconi: Text was not properly discussed

Meanwhile, the US appears to be moving fast to assemble a military peacekeeping and stabilisation force for Iraq, bypassing Nato and the EU and drawing on soldiers from countries that supported the US-led war.

Denmark is considering a US request to lead a 3,000-man force including personnel from Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.

Italy has formally offered 2,500 men for the same purpose.

Several other eastern European states which sent back-up military or medical teams to the Gulf during the war have signalled they are willing to play a role in the post-war period.

French bewilderment

Jacques Chirac himself proposed an EU operation to airlift injured civilians to Europe for medical treatment.

But when asked about the possible deployment of large numbers of soldiers under Danish command he was clearly taken off guard and said he knew nothing about it.

It is possible to see in this signs of growing American influence over the EU's member states.

The EU's own so-called rapid reaction force, which was meant to be operational for crisis management tasks from the start of this year, is not on offer to help in Iraq.