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| Version 7 | Version 8 |
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| Blair out of EU presidency race | Blair out of EU presidency race |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has dropped out of the race to be European Council President - just as EU leaders meet to decide who to appoint. | Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has dropped out of the race to be European Council President - just as EU leaders meet to decide who to appoint. |
| Belgian PM Herman van Rompuy has been put forward for the job, with French and German support, diplomats say. | |
| The socialist group of EU leaders is now urging the appointment of EU Trade Commissioner Baroness Catherine Ashton as the new foreign policy supremo. | The socialist group of EU leaders is now urging the appointment of EU Trade Commissioner Baroness Catherine Ashton as the new foreign policy supremo. |
| A UK government spokesman revealed the dramatic twist in the British position. | A UK government spokesman revealed the dramatic twist in the British position. |
| EU leaders are in Brussels to select their first full-time president and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs - new posts created by the Lisbon Treaty, which will come into force on 1 December. | EU leaders are in Brussels to select their first full-time president and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs - new posts created by the Lisbon Treaty, which will come into force on 1 December. |
| Wanted: Someone with star quality | Wanted: Someone with star quality |
| The heads of the 27 EU member nations have various candidates to choose from, and after-dinner negotiations may last into the night. | |
| Mr Blair had been an early favourite for president and was the highest-profile candidate. | |
| Seeking balance | |
| The EU leaders are having a working dinner together to negotiate the appointments. | |
| They are widely expected to strive for a balance in the two posts, with one likely to be filled by a candidate from one of the bigger EU states, the other from a smaller country. | They are widely expected to strive for a balance in the two posts, with one likely to be filled by a candidate from one of the bigger EU states, the other from a smaller country. |
| Similarly, the presidency is expected to go to a centre-right politician and the post of foreign affairs chief to the centre-left. | Similarly, the presidency is expected to go to a centre-right politician and the post of foreign affairs chief to the centre-left. |
| By abandoning Tony Blair, and persuading the socialist group of governments to back Lady Ashton for the foreign policy position, Prime Minister Gordon Brown may well have broken the logjam and vaulted a British candidate right into one of Europe's top jobs, the BBC's Jonny Dymond reports from Brussels. | |
| Quite a few countries are deliberately shielding their hands, waiting to see what happens when the leaders meet face to face Gavin Hewitt's EU blog | Quite a few countries are deliberately shielding their hands, waiting to see what happens when the leaders meet face to face Gavin Hewitt's EU blog |
| The combination of Mr Van Rompuy and Lady Ashton would also achieve the balance that EU leaders seek, he says. | |
| The BBC's Europe editor Gavin Hewitt says Mr Blair was an early frontrunner for the presidency, but some leaders feared he would overshadow them and so the mood shifted in favour of a lower-profile name instead. | |
| The EU president will chair regular meetings of the European Council at which decisions are taken about the political position of the bloc. | |
| However, correspondents say the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, as the post is officially known, could have an even more powerful role. | However, correspondents say the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, as the post is officially known, could have an even more powerful role. |
| THE PRESIDENT'S ROLE Chosen by 27 member states by qualified majority voteTwo-and-a-half-year termCan be re-elected onceChairs EU summitsDrives forward the work of EU Council of MinistersFacilitates cohesion and consensusRepresents the EU on the world stage Send us your comments | |
| Whoever is chosen will have a seat as vice-president of the European Commission, as well as a budget worth billions of euros and a new diplomatic service of up to 5,000 people. | Whoever is chosen will have a seat as vice-president of the European Commission, as well as a budget worth billions of euros and a new diplomatic service of up to 5,000 people. |
| Mr Van Rompuy is seen as a consensus-builder and has been described as a pragmatic rather than a charismatic figure. | |
| During his time as budget minister in Belgium's Christian Democrat-led government, he took a tough stance on balancing the economic books, drastically reducing the country's public debt. | During his time as budget minister in Belgium's Christian Democrat-led government, he took a tough stance on balancing the economic books, drastically reducing the country's public debt. |
| Mr Blair had not put himself forward for the role, but had not ruled himself out either. | Mr Blair had not put himself forward for the role, but had not ruled himself out either. |
| Currently working as Middle East envoy for the US, UN, EU and Russia, he was earlier described by Mr Brown as an "excellent candidate". | Currently working as Middle East envoy for the US, UN, EU and Russia, he was earlier described by Mr Brown as an "excellent candidate". |
| The UK's Foreign Secretary David Miliband had been tipped as a possible contender for the job of EU foreign affairs chief, but he has said he is not available. | The UK's Foreign Secretary David Miliband had been tipped as a possible contender for the job of EU foreign affairs chief, but he has said he is not available. |