Europe's 'big three' end little meeting

BERLIN, Feb. 18 (UPI) -- The leaders of Germany, Britain and France adjourned a mini-summit in Berlin Wednesday by telling Europeans to stop worrying they were planning a power grab.

Gerhard Schroeder, Jacques Chirac and Tony Blair had gathered in Berlin to discuss the future of the European Union and related issues, the BBC reported.

The meeting prompted concerns from some other European leaders that the three men were trying to dominate an expanded EU.

Schroeder denied the three were trying to "dominate anyone, let alone Europe."

Blair said it was valuable for the three countries to hold a summit in the wake of what he called "a very difficult period," a reference to intra-European strains arising from the Iraq war.