Sarkozy wants Blair “crowned” President of Europe next month

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1222054/Blair-EU-president-month.html

Tony Blair could be crowned first President of Europe at a special summit of EU leaders next month.

Diplomatic sources say French President Nicolas Sarkozy is pushing for an extraordinary meeting in Brussels to install the former prime minister in the new £275,000-a-year post.

Supporters of Mr Blair’s candidacy are racing to get a deal stitched up as doubts grow about whether the forthcoming inquiry into the Iraq war could prove a major stumbling block.

The Conservatives have told the French that making him EU president would be viewed by an incoming Tory government as a ‘declaration of war’.

They are warning other European leaders that if appointed, Mr Blair could find himself almost immediately at the centre of massive controversy as the formal inquiry into the Iraq war gets under way.

The former prime minister is expected to be the chief witness at the inquiry, being led by Whitehall mandarin Sir John Chilcot.

But diplomats say that as well as M Sarkozy, Barack Obama would also be happy to see Mr Blair installed as EU President.

The White House will make no public statement on the post, but the President is said to favour a candidate such as Mr Blair, who is both pro-American and pro-European.

Mr Blair was the first European leader to meet Mr Obama after he became President, and was lavished with praise.

The ex-PM insists he is not campaigning for the job – even though he is the officially approved candidate of the British government. Gordon Brown is understood to have no objections to a special summit being convened next month.

Sweden, which holds the current ‘ rotating’ EU presidency, also wants a permanent president nominated within weeks, even though the successful candidate would not take up the position until all the EU’s 27 member states have ratified the Lisbon Treaty.

‘The French are pushing for an extraordinary summit next month to crown Tony Blair as President of the EU,’ said one diplomatic source. ‘Blair is looking like the clear favourite and Sarkozy wants to get it settled quickly.’

There is also growing speculation that Foreign Secretary David Miliband could be offered another job being created by the Lisbon Treaty.

The post of high representative for foreign affairs is seen as potentially more important job than the presidency itself. However, Mr Miliband would have to quit the Cabinet to take it up, risking accusations that he had abandoned hope of Labour winning the next election.

Last night a handful of members of the European Parliament started a campaign to stop Mr Blair winning the presidency.

A Luxembourg socialist and four senior German politicians from across the political spectrum launched a petition in the assembly calling for him to be ruled out of consideration because Britain is not one of the 16 countries which use the euro, is not in the Schengen border-free area and has an exemption from the bloc’s charter of fundamental rights.

If he lands the job, Mr Blair can expect 20 staff, a chauffeur and generous entertainment expenses. But he will almost certainly be forced to ditch outside interests said to have earned him £12million since leaving Downing Street.

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cant wait for the coronation..these guys all stick together dont they?

401

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~ by seeker401 on October 24, 2009.