Sarkozy dropping support for Blair

BRUSSELS, May 7 (UPI) -- French President Nicolas Sarkozy no longer supports former British Prime Minister Tony Blair for the post of "president of Europe."

Sources close to Sarkozy told the French newspaper Le Figaro that the French leader now prefers Jean-Claude Juncker, the prime minister of Luxembourg. The Independent suggested that Juncker could instead become president of the European Commission, while Jose Manuel Barroso moves from that post to president of the European Council.

The European presidency was created by the new treaty agreed to by members of the European Union. But the parameters of the job remain undecided, the EU Observer said, with members split between a high-profile leader and a president more concerned with organizational details.

Some European leaders have said that the presidency should not go to Blair because Britain has resisted adapting its justice system to match European standards and has remained out of the euro area.