Blair breaks off family holiday to meet French Prime Minister for talks on Iraq

Tony Blair and the French Prime Minister, Jean-Pierre Raffarin, interrupted their holidays yesterday for private talks and lunch with their wives on the terrace of the château where the Blairs have been staying in south-western France.

The meeting was classed as strictly private and the two men and their officials refused to speak to the press. The Iraqi crisis and a series of Franco-British issues, ranging from the Sangatte refugee camp to the French ban on British beef exports, are believed to have been discussed.

In a clear hint that a possible American invasion of Iraq would be on the agenda, a Downing Street spokeswoman said that the country's stance on weapons of mass destruction was "an issue that is in the forefront of many minds". Mr Raffarin, who became Prime Minister in May and met Mr Blair in London last month, broke off a holiday in the Alps to spend a day with the Blairs at the 15th-century Château Lagrézette, near Caillac.

Mr Blair met the previous French prime minister, Lionel Jospin, while staying near his constituency in south-west France in all but one of the last five years. Yesterday's meeting was arranged largely to continue that tradition and prevent press talk of a "snub" or chill in Franco-British relations.

However, unlike previous meetings, neither Downing Street nor the French government briefed journalists on its outcome, prompting speculation that the two sides did not see eye to eye on Iraq. President Jacques Chirac has expressed his concern about the American plans to strike against Saddam Hussein and a recent opinion poll found that 75 per cent of the French public were against such an attack.

The two prime ministers and their wives posed briefly for photographs after lunch. This was Cherie Blair's first appearance in public since her miscarriage. The two leaders were dressed informally, Mr Raffarin in a red jumper and grey trousers, Mr Blair in jeans and a white shirt.

The Blairs and their children are staying in the château as the guests of a French businessman, Alain-Dominique Perrin, of the Cartier jewellery company. Tomorrow they are due to return to the house in Vernet, in Haute-Garonne, where they have spent their summer holidays in recent years.