Britain is set to appeal to France to help fund the reconstruction of Iraq.

Foreign secretary Jack Straw will renew his bid for help on Wednesday when he meets his French counterpart Dominique de Villepin in London.

Straw is seeking positive signals ahead of a donor conference on Iraq in Madrid next week.

At the United Nations on Tuesday Britain pledged £260 million to repair and modernise the country but no other countries have made financial commitments.

The key issue, as in the run up to the Iraq war, was a role for the United Nations.

France has called for a new resolution that would give the UN a clear role in both running the country and a timetable for handing control of the country back to the Iraqi people.

Britain and France were upbeat ahead of the private meeting and de Villepin gave a cautious reaction to the offer to the UN by Straw.

He described the proposals as a step in the right direction and a sign of progress.

Also on the agenda is Thursday's EU inter-governmental conference in Brussels.

Key issues for discussion will be asylum and defence co-operation.

With tensions remaining high in the Middle East the two men are also expected to discuss how pressure can be maintained to avoid the road map peace plan being ditched.

No official statements are expected but both men will be taking part in a pooled photocall.