LONDON, Jan 21: Britain confirmed on Wednesday a three-way dinner between the British, French and German foreign ministers two days earlier, at which they discussed Iraq, Iran and other issues.

A Foreign Office spokesman said Foreign Secretary Jack Straw hosted the dinner at his country residence for French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin and Germany's Joschka Fischer.

"They had an informal private dinner at Chevening on Monday night, and they discussed Iraq, Iran and other foreign policy issues," the spokesman said. "We've had this sort of private meetings from time to time, as we do with other member states (of the European Union), and as France and Germany do with other member states," he added.

"Meetings of small groups of like-minded member states are not unusual." The Financial Times newspaper, which broke the news of the dinner in its British edition on Wednesday, said the dinner indicated Britain's desire to boost its trilateral relationship with France and Germany.-AFP