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Van Rompuy favourite as EU leaders set to pick new full-time chief
Published in Saudi Press Agency on 19 - 11 - 2009


Herman Van Rompuy entered the race for the post
of European Union chief as favourite Thursday as leaders headed for
Brussels to pick their first-ever, full-time president, , according to dpa.
Preparations were already underway for the possible departure of
Belgium"s prime minister, with the Belgian media speculating about
likely post-Van Rompuy scenarios.
"It"s D-Day for Van Rompuy and Europe," read the front-page
headline of the daily Le Soir along with articles suggesting the
possible return to power of his predecessor, Yves Leterme.
Van Rompuy"s unofficial candidacy was strengthened on Wednesday
when German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she planned to strike a
deal on names with the EU"s other powerbroker, French President
Nicolas Sarkozy.
Germany and France are both believed to be in favour of a
candidate from a smaller member state. Van Rompuy has won favours in
Paris and Berlin by supporting their opposition to Turkey becoming an
EU member.
While Germany has not explicitly backed any candidate, its
ambassador to Belgium, Reinhard Bettzuege, was quoted by Belgian
paper De Morgen as saying Germany favoured Van Rompuy, a comment that
was subsequently denied in Berlin.
Moreover, the Belgian"s election faces opposition from other major
EU players, with Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt conceding
that no consensus candidate had emerged out of his pre-summit
consultations with fellow leaders.
Sweden currently holds the EU"s rotating presidency.
Britain, for instance, is continuing to promote the candidacy of
former premier Tony Blair, and the country"s media has already
mounted a vicious attack on Van Rompuy"s federalist agenda.
Italy has also backed Blair in the past.
The election will be decided by qualified majority, with the
winning candidate needing at least 255 out of 345 votes available. He
or she will also need the support of at least two-thirds of the
bloc"s 27 member states.
Germany, France, Italy and Britain all have 29 votes each at their
disposal, with Poland and Spain commanding a further 27 votes each.
Meanwhile, former Italian premier Massimo D"Alema, a
social democrat, is seen as a frontrunner for the other major post
being created by the Lisbon Treaty, that of foreign policy chief.
D"Alema enjoys the backing of conservative Prime Minister Silvio
Berlusconi, but is viewed with suspicion by Poland and other Eastern
states because of his communist origins.
Spain is also promoting its own candidate for the post, Foreign
Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos.
However, Moratinos" chances are seen as slim, given that the
foreign policy chief would also assume the vice-presidency of the
European Commission, which is currently headed by another Iberian,
Jose Manuel Barroso of Portugal.
The third post up for grabs at Thursday evening"s summit is that
of secretary general of the council.
Reinfeldt has warned delegates to brace themselves for possible
all-night discussions in Brussels.


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