BRUSSELS, Oct 18: French President Jacques Chirac turned his hand on Friday to an unprecedented form of EU diplomacy that served to symbolize his country’s strong alliance with Germany as the driving force of Europe.

In a gesture that raised eyebrows across the Channel dividing Europe from Britain, Mr Chirac — despite only having a few words of German — agreed to speak for Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder on the final day of an EU summit.

He stepped in to allow the German leader to dash back to Berlin for a key parliament vote on his government’s social and economic reform package, with every vote in the Bundestag proving vital for its passage.

“I was a sort of spokesman for the absent chancellor,” said Chirac, describing the arrangement — unheard of in EU history — as a “testament to the trust and friendship” between the two leaders.

Many of their European partners hailed the deal as a welcome sign of unity as the EU struggles to present a united front ahead of its expansion next May to take in another 10 members from eastern and southern Europe.

And several heads of government also voiced their willingness to stand in if called upon by Chirac or Schroeder... or indeed anyone else around the EU table.

“The sky’s the limit,” smiled Poland’s Prime Minister Leszek Miller, asked if he would consider seeking a similar favour from Spain’s Jose Maria Aznar.—AFP