The EU: The European Union and the United States have played down their differences over EU defence plans but clashed over how to deal with Iran's nuclear programme.
The US Secretary of State, Mr Colin Powell, said after a meeting with EU foreign ministers that their security was bound together in NATO, even as the EU expanded its military capabilities.
"We support all the initiatives that are underway to expand the capabilities of the European Union in the security field", he said.
Mr Powell dismissed concerns that a new EU armaments agency could represent a threat to US interests, describing it as a sensible idea. He said that the US favoured a strong, united Europe.
"The United States wants a unified Europe, and expanded Europe, a Europe that plays a full role on the world stage", he said.
The Secretary of State and the EU's foreign policy chief, Mr Javier Solana, disagreed publicly however on how to deal with a possible nuclear threat from Iran. Mr Powell said that the US continued to believe that Iran was in breach of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and suggested that an initiative by Britain, France and Germany was not tough enough on Tehran.
"We had some reservations about whether the resolution is strong enough to convey to the world the difficulties that we have had with Iran over the years. The fact of the matter is Iran has been in non-compliance. It's a position the United States has taken for some time and finally the facts became clear to all," he said.
Following a visit to Tehran last month by the British, French and German foreign ministers, Iran agreed to inspections of its nuclear facilities and suspended enrichment of uranium.
Mr Solana said that he believed that Tehran had been honest, adding that the EU's policy of "constructive engagement" was aimed at preventing Iran from going nuclear, an aim that was shared by the US.
EU ministers pressed Mr Powell over the fate of 26 EU citizens, who are among more than 600 people being held without trial in Guantanamo Bay. Mr Powell said that the US would deal with the EU cases as fast as possible.
"I know that this is a subject much in the mind of European governments and we've discussed it extensively. They reinforced the need for us to resolve these cases as quickly as we can. I will be taking that message back and doing everything I can to resolve these cases," he said.
Mr Powell said, however, that none of the detainees could be released until the US authorities were satisfied that they had extracted all necessary information from them.