Britain pulls rank on Luxembourg over Blair

(BRUSSELS) - Britain on Wednesday pulled rank on tiny Luxembourg, the leading opponent of a bid to crown Tony Blair as the European Union's 'George Washington,' its first full-time president.

On the eve of a summit of bloc leaders where lobbying for two top jobs is going into overdrive, London hit back at suggestions from the Grand Duchy that Britain's refusal to adopt the euro currency should bar Blair from office.

"If your measurements were how much a member state contributes to the EU budget or how willing they are to put their soldiers' lives at risk..., then the picture would be rather different," said a senior British diplomat.

The first candidate to throw his hat publicly into the ring was Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker, on Tuesday.

He argues that the job -- tagged after the US founding father by former French head of state Valery Giscard d'Estaing, who led the preparatory work behind its creation -- should go to a country deeply tied to the EU.

Juncker said that Luxembourg, a land of less than 500,000 people, a standing army counted in the hundreds and just four votes to London's 29 in the European Council of leaders, had "taken a position, and this goes beyond Tony Blair as a person."

Aside from the euro, Britain has also not signed up to the passport-free Schengen travel area, and further secured an opt-out from a new charter of fundamental rights, due to come into force if and when the Lisbon Treaty enters law early next year.

"If it's being asserted that the top jobs in the EU can only be done by nationals from member states which are in the euro and Schengen, then that's a major, unprecedented and highly divisive change of direction and policy," the British diplomat underlined.

He said that would mean "creating two tiers of membership and ruling out a significant number of member states from all top jobs."

The European Commission's budgetary report for 2008 showed that Britain paid more than 10 billion euros (15 billion dollars) into the EU pot whereas Luxembourg's contribution was less than 260 million euros.

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband -- who ruled himself out as an option for the other job as EU foreign affairs supremo -- trumpeted Blair's candidacy in Luxembourg on Monday.

"He is a persuasive advocate, a genuine European and a real coalition-builder," Miliband said, even though Blair has not formally entered the running.

"If I were called upon, I would have no reason to refuse... on condition that there are ambitious ideas for the post," Juncker said on Tuesday, resurrecting memories of a four-year-old row with Blair over EU budgets.

The job, with a term of up to five years, does not yet exist as the treaty has still to be ratified by the Czech Republic, following a court ruling on an appeal next week.

Czech Prime Minister Jan Fischer said on Wednesday that he has a "guarantee" from President Vaclav Klaus that he will sign the treaty, removing the last major obstacle to it entering force.

Blair was British prime minister from 1997 to 2007 and sparked division in Europe over his defence of the Iraq war.

His main rival, according to diplomats, is Dutch Prime Minister Jan Balkenende.

His minister for European affairs, Frans Timmermans, said on Monday that the Dutch "certainly would not oppose (Blair's) candidacy," underlining also that Balkenende "will not be proposed by the Dutch government" either.