EU searches for president as Blair's star fades

The race to become the first president of the European Union was wide open today after EU leaders all but killed off former British Prime Minister Tony Blair's chances of getting the job.

EU leaders ended a two-day summit without any sign of an agreement on a candidate, but made clear Blair would not be their choice.

Blair was once backed by French President Nicolas Sarkozy. But asked if he supported Blair, Sarkozy said today: "You know very well that the names in the first wave are not necessarily the winners in the final round."

Sarkozy indicated his view was shared by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whom he met for talks on Wednesday and who is the other main power broker in the 27-country bloc.

"With Angela Merkel, we have agreed that France and Germany will have a common vision and support the same candidate when the time comes," Sarkozy told reporters.

Sarkozy said EU leaders had talked "in the corridors about appointments" at the summit but added: "Frankly today no decision emerged and no firm trend is visible."

The British campaign to push Blair's candidacy stumbled when Prime Minister Gordon Brown failed to win the blessing of European socialists for Blair's candidacy before the summit began yesterday.

Some prominent leaders of the group -- who are allies of Blair's governing Labour party -- refused their backing because of Blair's close relationship with former US President George W. Bush and the leading role he played in the war in Iraq.

"If he cannot get the backing of the socialist group and being a Labour man himself, it's a very difficult situation," Lars Lokke Rasmussen, the Danish Prime Minister, said.

Appointing Blair would also have been difficult for Germany and France because Britain is not among the 16 countries that use the euro currency and is seen as eurosceptic.

THE SEARCH GOES ON

The race no longer has a front-runner and the search is on for a candidate who can build consensus better than Blair. A centre-right leader is likely to be chosen because there are more centre-right leaders in the EU than leftists.

Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende said on Friday he would not rule himself out if pushed into a bid by others. "If others are asking, then you are a candidate," he said.

Other candidates could include Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker, Finnish premier Paavo Lipponen and former Belgian premier Guy Verhofstadt.

Sarkozy said EU leaders were likely to hold a summit in mid-November to discuss the appointment of the bloc's first long-term president, for which the job description is vague. The job is being created under a treaty that has yet to come into force and says little about what it entails and what powers should be attached to it.

The new EU figurehead would work alongside the current system of a six-month rotating presidency.

As well as a president, the EU is searching for a foreign policy chief to raise the bloc's influence on the world stage.

Some EU member states oppose having a political heavyweight in the job, fearful they could be sidelined. Others want a high-profile appointment who would have more credibility in meetings with the United States or China.