In Blair's absence, EU foreign job is top prize: British PM

(BRUSSELS) - Tony Blair should have been the European Union's first president, but a second top job secured by a British woman is actually more important, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Thursday.

Brown said he spoke to Blair after EU leaders assigned a "redefined" chairman's role to Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy, but stressed he would not speak for his predecessor in Downing Street.

While congratulating Van Rompuy, Brown made clear he regards the post -- higher paid than US President Barack Obama -- as largely ceremonial because the EU policy agenda should remain in the hands of national governments.

But he went to great lengths to portray the appointment of British EU trade commissioner Cathy Ashton as EU foreign affairs supremo -- overseeing a global network of EU missions, staff and budget -- as a coup for London.

"For Britain, to have the vice-president of the European Commission and the first head of the external affairs section and high representative ... shows Britain is at the heart of Europe," he told a press conference.

In addition, Brown said, the appointment "shows Britain is leading the way in extending representation" to women.

The Labour prime minister said "political party labels" had decided the nominations, after the Swedish EU presidency re-drew the "scope and nature" of the top job.

"I wanted Tony Blair to be the first president," Brown said, adding that he would "neither apologise for that nor say anything other than... he would have been an excellent president.

"But as the days went by, it becamee clear that (the European conservative alliance) wanted to have one of their own members as president of the European council."

Brown praised Van Rompuy's "great qualities as a diplomat and negotiator, and a man of integrity," but stressed that Ashton, as the first point of call on the international stage, would be out in the trenches on a host of issues where the EU requires a common position.

Citing decisions on climate change, nuclear weapons, the economy and Afghanistan and a future military coalition, he said Ashton "will have a unique role to play over next five years."

Also, he underlined, "this is a woman holding high office in the European Union where all too often positions have been held by men."

Highlighting Ashton's role in negotiating a multi-billion-euro free trade pact for the EU with South Korea, he said she would also shape the EU's voice on the bloc's enlargement in the Balkans and Turkey -- as well as its input to the Middle East peace process, which would mean working alongside Blair in his capacity as an envoy.