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Tue 10 Oct 2009Blair's rebirth as a player in European politics not a done deal
EUROPEAN DIARY:WILL TONY Blair rise phoenix-like from the ashes of the Iraq war to become the first president of the European Council? This is the question on everybody’s lips in Brussels, where personality politics have quickly taken hold following Ireland’s Yes vote on the Lisbon Treaty, writes JAMIE SMYTH
The former British prime minister has been touted as the leading candidate for the new post ever since the treaty was agreed by EU leaders in June 2007. The British government is backing him. At the weekend British foreign secretary David Miliband said he’d make an excellent choice for EU president if he decided to put his name forward. “We need a strong person at the head,” Mr Miliband told Sky News.
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