France and Germany wrangled over how to tackle Europe's debtcrisis a day before a finance ministers' meeting in Brusselsintended to set a common strategy on dealing with the turmoil.

With a summit of European leaders scheduled for two days later,a disagreement over the European Central Bank's role in the rescueplan threatens to stymie progress on the banking and economicquestions needed to deliver the comprehensive strategy demanded byglobal policy makers. Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-ClaudeJuncker, who chairs the group of euro-area finance ministers,indicated an impromptu meeting of European leaders in Frankfurtlast night failed to resolve differences. “We are still meeting,”he said as he departed.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, whose wife was reportedlygiving birth to his first daughter, jetted into Frankfurt to meetwith officials as they attended an event to honor outgoing ECBPresident Jean-Claude Trichet. Sarkozy, German Chancellor AngelaMerkel and International Monetary Fund Managing Director ChristineLagarde left the event at the Frankfurt Opera House withoutcommenting.