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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| Blair to bid farewell to Chirac | Blair to bid farewell to Chirac |
| (about 9 hours later) | |
| Outgoing British Prime Minister Tony Blair is to visit Paris to say farewell to the outgoing French president, Jacques Chirac. | Outgoing British Prime Minister Tony Blair is to visit Paris to say farewell to the outgoing French president, Jacques Chirac. |
| Mr Blair will also hold talks with French President-elect Nicolas Sarkozy, who takes power on 16 May. | Mr Blair will also hold talks with French President-elect Nicolas Sarkozy, who takes power on 16 May. |
| Mr Blair and Mr Chirac will enjoy a brief farewell. They have had a sometimes prickly relationship, with many disagreements over Europe. | Mr Blair and Mr Chirac will enjoy a brief farewell. They have had a sometimes prickly relationship, with many disagreements over Europe. |
| Mr Blair's meeting with Nicolas Sarkozy will be an altogether warmer one. | Mr Blair's meeting with Nicolas Sarkozy will be an altogether warmer one. |
| I am tempted to say that Sarkozy is currently the most successful Blairite around BBC Europe editor Mark Mardell class="" href="/1/hi/world/europe/6640283.stm">Europe diary: Blair's friends The French president-elect has expressed his personal admiration for Tony Blair and his political style, as well as for his government's economic record. | |
| On one of his last visits to Britain, Mr Sarkozy visited a job centre to see how the UK dealt with unemployment. | On one of his last visits to Britain, Mr Sarkozy visited a job centre to see how the UK dealt with unemployment. |
| He has made the fight against joblessness his top priority for France. | He has made the fight against joblessness his top priority for France. |
| Turkey issue | Turkey issue |
| The main subject of Mr Blair and Mr Sarkozy's talks will be Europe and the future of the EU Constitutional Treaty - which France scuppered by voting against, in its referendum two years ago. | The main subject of Mr Blair and Mr Sarkozy's talks will be Europe and the future of the EU Constitutional Treaty - which France scuppered by voting against, in its referendum two years ago. |
| Mr Sarkozy wants, instead, a pragmatic form of mini-treaty, pared down to its bare essentials, to be voted through national parliaments rather than risk another referendum. | Mr Sarkozy wants, instead, a pragmatic form of mini-treaty, pared down to its bare essentials, to be voted through national parliaments rather than risk another referendum. |
| However, Britain and France still disagree on some areas, not least over Turkish membership of the EU, which Britain favours and Mr Sarkozy remains firmly against. | However, Britain and France still disagree on some areas, not least over Turkish membership of the EU, which Britain favours and Mr Sarkozy remains firmly against. |
| The German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, is working on a roadmap towards a new treaty to be discussed at the European Council meeting in late June. | The German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, is working on a roadmap towards a new treaty to be discussed at the European Council meeting in late June. |
| She is not expected to meet the new French president for talks until after 16 May. | She is not expected to meet the new French president for talks until after 16 May. |