Scotland - Salmond Out To Block Blair From Eu Presidency - by Paul Hutcheon
First Minister Alex Salmond of Scotland wants Tony Blair to be blocked from becoming the first president of the European Union.The SNP leader says the former prime minister should be "disqualified" from the post because of his staunch support for the Iraq war. He also said he hoped Scotland would become independent as quickly as possible so he could veto Blair's candidacy himself. The post of EU president is likely to be created as a result of the Lisbon treaty being agreed by the union's member states. Blair, who stood down as prime minister last year, has been touted as a potential candidate by allies and is known to have the support of French president Nicolas Sarkozy. However, the former Labor leader also is not thought to have the backing of German Chancellor Angela Merkel - and the first minister made it clear he will have no support from Edinburgh. Salmond said: "I'm hoping Scotland will proceed to independence quick enough to have a vote so that we can vote against him. I think Tony Blair would be a deeply controversial figure to be EU president." He added: "I think he's disqualified his candidacy because of one word, and that word is Iraq."
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