EU foreign ministers in show of support for Ashton

(CORDOBA) - European foreign ministers on Saturday gave a show of support for beleaguered EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton, hoping to move forward with the building of a new diplomatic service.

Ashton has been criticised on several fronts since assuming her new post in December, not least because of a lack of experience in diplomatic matters.

The British peer is seeking to put together an External Action Service (EAS), a new diplomatic corps that will represent Europe around the world.

"Ashton is a very energetic person, tenacious and strong and we are all going to support her because that's the way to support our policy," said Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn at talks in Cordoba, southern Spain.

Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb said "Ashton got 100 percent support" from the 27 EU foreign ministers who started meeting Friday.

The top European Union diplomat came in for more criticism last month after the coveted key post of EU ambassador to Washington post was handed to an ally of EU Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso.

While displaying support for Ashton, ministers also stressed that jobs must be distributed fairly among European capitals.

Germany's Guido Westerwelle said "she will only succeed if all the foreign ministers support her," while stressing the need for the EU to talk "with one voice, to have a clear concept."

His Swedish and British counterparts Carl Bildt and David Miliband insisted in a leaked letter this week that "recruitment of staff should be transparent and based on merit", with battles for key global posts due to intensify.

Bildt stressed Saturday that it was necessary to ensure that nascent the EAS "fully reflects the member states because if we don't tie the member states into the structure, it's simply not going to work."

The controversy over the appointment of Barrosso-ally Joao Vale de Almeida as the EU's new envoy to Washington has boosted fears that the European Commission is calling too many shots in the appointments.

"There is huge frustration among the member states that the whole issue would be steered by the Commission," Austrian Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger said.

Ashton holds the post of EU High Representative for foreign and security affairs as well as that of vice president of the commission, under Barroso.

She rejected the view that wearing two hats posed a problem. "I don't need to juggle anything," she said.

There were differences of opinion in any organisation, "it's just happening here in a much more public way as you try to turn the bare bones of the (Lisbon) treaty... into what we actually do on the ground," she said.

The EU's reforming Lisbon Treaty came into force in December and created both her role and the EAS diplomatic service.

Ashton has no diplomatic experience and has never held elected office, earning criticism from some members of the European parliament last year that she is too inexperienced for the EU job.

She was also slammed for not rushing to Haiti after a devastating earthquake on January 12. She finally made the trip on Wednesday.