EU leaders report no progress at summit

BRUSSELS, June 21 (UPI) -- The opening day of the two-day EU summit meeting ended Thursday with no progress on a substitute for the failed European constitution.

Tony Blair, who leaves office in a few days, opened his final summit as British prime minister by calling for "significant changes" in the draft treaty, the EU Observer reported.

"We want a treaty but it has to be the right one," British Foreign Minister Margaret Beckett said.

Poland has also threatened a veto, proposing a voting system based on the square root of population that would give it more clout, especially against Germany. No other country supports the plan.

Blair has four problem areas, the newspaper said. He wants a weak foreign minister for the European Union, does not want the Charter of Fundamental Rights to be binding on member countries, and wants to maintain local control in matters of justice and immigration.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel reportedly had hoped to make agreement on a treaty the high note of her nation's EU presidency. She said at the end of the day that efforts Friday may come to nothing.