European Union (EU) leaders nominated Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Manuel Durao Barroso as new European Commission (EC) president at a special summit on Tuesday night.  

Durao Barroso, 48, will replace Romano Prodi on November 1 this year if he is approved by the European Parliament in July.

The commission runs the day-to-day affairs of the 25-nation bloc and presents the image of the EU to the world.

Earlier Tuesday, Durao Barroso resigned the post as prime minister to take over the running of the EU's executive arm.

He announced his resignation in Lisbon in a message to the people of Portugal, saying he would accept the nomination to take over from Prodi as EC chief.

Durao Barroso's support for better relations with Washington and backing for the US-led invasion of Iraq made him acceptable to Britain -- one of the EU's so-called "Big Three." He is not seen as a federalist or a nationalist.

EU ends weeks of debate over its commission chief

The appointment of Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Manuel Durao Barroso by EU leaders as new EC chief Tuesday night ended weeks of acrimonious debate over the post that pitted Britain against fellow EU heavyweights France and Germany, reigniting rivalries that flared over the Iraq war.

EU leaders failed to agree on a new commission president at a summit in Brussels earlier this month where a constitution for the newly enlarged bloc of 25 nations was sealed.

Durao Barroso is seen as sufficiently pro-European for the French and Germans, but, as a supporter of the war in Iraq, is also acceptable to Britain, Italy and Poland.

He has drawn criticism within his homeland for siding with the United States and Britain, rather than France and Germany, over the US invasion and occupation of Iraq.

Durao Barroso hosted a US-British summit in the build-up to the March 2003 invasion and recently has refused opposition demands to withdraw 120 Portuguese police deployed in Iraq.

EU diplomats said that Durao Barroso had emerged by consensus as the front-runner in the past few days after Spain and France dropped reservations about him.

Durao Barroso fits the criteria set for the post by France and Germany since Portugal is a full member of all bloc policies, including the euro single currency.

Diplomats here said that Durao Barroso had gained ground as a "lowest common denominator" after other names fell by the wayside or withdrew from contention.

France and Germany had pressed heavily for Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, but Britain and Italy blocked him because of his hostility to the Iraq war and their dislike for his federalist vision of the EU.

Berlin and Paris in turn refused the other camp's candidate, EU External Affairs Commissioner Chris Patten, a Briton.

Durao Barroso, who speaks fluent English, French and Spanish, is a veteran diplomat. In 1990, he oversaw negotiations that ended a 15-year civil war in Angola, a former Portuguese colony in southwest Africa.

Durao Barroso's Social Democrat coalition, which has imposed tough spending cuts since coming to power in 2002, received a drumming in the elections for the European Parliament earlier this month and are trailing the Socialists in opinion polls.

EU leaders hail Barroso's appointment as new EC president

EU leaders hailed the appointment of Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Manuel Durao Barroso as the EC president Tuesday.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair said that his Portuguese counterpart supported economic reforms and strong ties with the US.

"He's the right man. He's an excellent candidate for the EU," Blair told reporters after a special summit attended by EU leaders Tuesday night.

The appointment was also welcomed by French President Jacques Chirac, who called Durao Barroso "a competent man, a man of dialogue."

Earlier, Prime Minister Indulis Emsis of Latvia -- one of 10 new EU members -- said the new EC president would "be able to sustain good trans-Atlantic links, which is very important for us."

"He is from a small country that is also good for us," he added.

(Xinhua News Agency June 30, 2004)