REUTERS - European Union leaders named Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy as the bloc's first president on Thursday and appointed Briton Catherine Ashton as its foreign affairs chief.
A consensus was reached at a summit in Brussels after Britain dropped its insistence that former British Prime Minister Tony Blair should become president, ending weeks of deadlock and opening the way to agreement on Van Rompuy.
But Van Rompuy, 62, and Ashton, 53, are low-profile compromise candidates little known outside the EU and at least initially will not have the clout in foreign capitals that an established statesmen such as Blair would have had.
"The deal has been done. Both positions have been agreed," said an EU diplomat present at the talks, which involved all 27 member states.
The leaders had sought a political balance to satisfy member states and the European Parliament, whose approval is needed for Ashton. This was achieved by appointing a centre-right president and a centre-left high representative for foreign affairs.
Van Rompuy, who will not need the assembly's approval, won plaudits for holding together a fragile coalition government after becoming prime minister less than a year ago.
Ashton, a baroness and former member of the House of Lords, Britain's upper house of parliament, is hardly known even in Britain and has little foreign affairs experience. But she has made a good impression since becoming the EU's trade commissioner, its top trade official, last year.
Brown helps break the deadlock
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's insistence that Blair should become president had been an obstacle to agreement, but a breakthrough became possible when he backed down and decided instead to back Ashton for the foreign policy job.
"As it became clear that the chances of a Blair presidency, for a number of good reasons, were declining, the prime minister made the decisive intervention in this meeting (to stop backing Blair)," a spokesman for Brown told reporters.
Blair had long been the front-runner but many other states wanted a candidate more likely to lead by consensus and Germany and France joined forces to block his candidacy.
He also had no majority among European Socialist parties, where resentment is still felt over his backing for the U.S.-led war in Iraq and many wanted a leader from a country that uses the euro currency.
Agreement on Van Rompuy and Ashton prevented a failure at the summit that would have highlighted the divisions in a bloc representing nearly 500 million people, and undermined the goal it had set of boosting the EU's image on the world stage.
In backing Ashton, the leaders also answered calls by many EU officials for a woman to have one of the Union's top posts.
Although the EU is a major trading bloc, its political influence has not matched its economic might. Political analysts have questioned whether it will be able to do so even after the new appointments.
The post of president of the council of EU leaders was created under the EU's Lisbon treaty, which is intended to make decision making easier now the bloc has 27 member states.
The foreign policy high representative received enhanced powers under the treaty, which goes into force on Dec. 1, and will be in charge of a new EU diplomatic corps.
Herman Van Rompuy. File photograph of Baroness Catherine Ashton, who was chosen as the first High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy has been chosen as the first permanent President of the European Council, at a meeting of European Union leaders today in Brussels.

Baroness Catherine Ashton of the United Kingdom has been selected as the first High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. The positions are both newly created by the Lisbon Treaty.

Following a week of negotiations, Sweden's Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt was attempting to find a compromise among the leaders of the EU's 27 member states, after division over candidates had previously failed to result in a unanimous decision. Van Rompuy's selection finally took place today, and fairly quickly, over a dinner meeting among European leaders.

"I did not seek this high position, I didn't make any steps to achieve it, but from tonight I take on this task with conviction and enthusiasm," Van Rompuy said at a news conference after being chosen.

"Europe must be in every member state's advantage," he continued. "This cardinal principle leds me to a two-track approach. First of all, I will consider everyone's interests and sensitivities. Even if our unity is our strength, our diversity remains our wealth. Every country has its own history, its own culture, its own way of doing things. Our journey may be toward a common destination, but we will all bring along different luggage."

He also promised to ensure that every country in the EU will emerge victorious from any decision taken. He is to officially become the EU president on January 1 of next year. 

Initially, former United Kingdom Prime Minister Tony Blair was a popular candidate for President. However, the relatively unknown Van Rompuy, apparently backed by France and Germany emerged as a compromise. Germany had denied backing Van Rompuy, despite its ambassador to Belgium saying to the ''De Morgen'' newspaper that "The German government is in favour of Prime Minister Van Rompuy, and if his candidacy fails it will not be because of Berlin."