"Blair was keener on him than Chirac was on him. I think Chirac always thought, this guy is a young whippersnapper." - Stephen Wall, former EU adviser to Tony Blair on Blair's relationship with ex-French President, Jacques Chirac.
INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE: BRUSSELS: A decade after he came to power promising to make the case for Europe, Tony Blair arrived Thursday at his last EU summit meeting deploying the nationalist rhetoric of Margaret Thatcher and threatening to veto a deal designed to give the 27-nation bloc more clout on the world stage.
America's closest and most reliable ally, Blair leaves the European stage a divisive figure, scarred by his support for United States policy in Iraq and locked in familiar disputes with his European partners over national sovereignty.
The outcome of a difficult meeting of EU leaders may determine whether Blair's successor, Gordon Brown, will warm to Europe or continue London's close ties to President George W. Bush's White House.
At a key moment for trans-Atlantic relations, the impasse at the EU summit meeting also underlines how little Britain's attitudes to Europe have changed over a decade during which the EU itself has transformed radically.
Blair has dismissed suggestions that he would want a new role as a European "president" - a new post outlined in the revamped treaty under discussion - even if other nations wanted him. Blair departs the EU with mixed legacy (more) By Stephen Castle
Mark Alexander
