European leaders will meet at a special summit today to decide who should become the first ever president of the European Union.
They will also agree on who should become the first EU foreign minister, the other post created by the Lisbon Treaty.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel angered some EU members yesterday when she publicly revealed that France and Germany plan to agree on a common candidate for the presidency, thought to be Herman Van Rompuy, the Belgian prime minister.
"Germany and France will reach an agreement together on this issue and not oppose each other," she said. "We are in contact on this ... I am optimistic that we will reach a result tomorrow."
The German ambassador to Belgium, Reinhard Bettzuege, has already stated Berlin's support for Van Rompuy.
Ironically, Van Rompuy's chances of securing the presidency may have been damaged by Germany's support as smaller member states fear a Franco-German stitch-up.
A senior EU official warned: "A joint Franco-German candidate will trigger a counter-reaction from the Brits and the east Europeans."
British officials insist the former prime minister Tony Blair is still in with an outside chance of winning the presidency.
"If you are looking for a presidential figure who can open doors around the world, who can represent the EU and has instant international recognition, there is no-one else" said one. "The fact is that Mr Blair is the A-team. The others may be very good, but they are the B-team."
Other candidates still under consideration include the Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende and the former Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga.
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