Unhappy with US moves against Iraq, NATO allies France, Germany and Belgium are proposing their own European war as they refuse to defend Turkey in any forthcoming battle.

"We've really burnt our bridges in not supporting a US attack on Iraq, and we really need a war to boost our popularity," said someone with a French accent yesterday. "So we're starting a war within NATO."

However Donald Ducksfeld, the US defence secretary, said it was completely unreasonable for the three states to act alone. "That's our job," he added.