Juncker takes on Blair for EU presidency - by Tony Barber
Tony Blair, the former UK prime minister, on Tuesday faced his first unofficial challenger for the European Union’s presidency after Jean-Claude Juncker, Luxembourg’s prime minister, indicated he was willing to take the job. “If I were asked, I wouldn’t have any reason to refuse to listen,” Mr Juncker told the French newspaper Le Monde in an interview.Hitting out at his British critics and rejecting the view that he represented too small a country, he said: “I am not a dwarf. Contrary to what the British press says, I have friendly relations with Vladimir Putin [Russia’s prime minister]. And I have known the Chinese leaders for a long time.”
Mr Juncker’s declaration crystallized the issue that has so far defined the contest – whether the EU wants Mr Blair, an instantly recognizable personality with global connections at the highest level but a controversial image in Europe, or a lower-profile politician judged to possess stronger European credentials but probably coming from a smaller EU nation.
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