Onenigheid over bevoegdheden Europese minister van Buitenlandse Zaken (en)

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The Constitution's biggest innovation - the creation of the post of EU foreign minister - is causing the latest round of headaches in the intergovernmental talks to finalise the draft text.

"The foreign minister position is raising as many questions as it answers", said a diplomat at the meeting of EU leaders in Brussels on Thursday.

The UK is the country expressing the most profound reservations. At a tour-de-table on sensitive institutional issues in the Constitution, Jack Straw "very succinctly" pointed out the problems his government has with the post.

Not only does the UK want the person to have a less `government-like' name, such as Foreign Secretary or Foreign Representative but it is also calling for the minister to be responsible only to the member states.

At the moment, the draft Constitution proposes that the Foreign Minister be both vice-President of the Commission and head of the external relations council - essentially a foot in both the intergovernmental and the communitarian camp.

But this is causing a myriad of problems.

Mr Straw spoke "relatively strongly" on this, said a council source. The UK Foreign Secretary also raised the issue at the preparatory IGC meeting in Luxembourg on Monday.

On Thursday, he was backed up by Sweden and Denmark.

Although some delegations are prepared to treat the UK's concerns as just foot-dragging - the Constitution as it stands does raise some serious issues.

For example, it does not elaborate whether the Foreign Minister should be able to vote in the Commission as other Commissioners may.

It does not say how to stop the minister, who is "responsible _ for handling external relations and for co-ordinating other aspects of the Union's action" from stepping on the toes of development and trade Commissioners.

It is also still not clear whether the foreign minister should have a personal team, and if so, under whose remit this team would be.

Some delegations have also queried whether the Minister should chair the external relations council citing issues of accoutability while still others believe that if there is a conflict between the Council and Commission, it is not clear to whom the Foreign Minister is answerable.

Finally, another question is if the Commission is asked to resign - will the Foreign Minister also have to resign.

"Governments are realising what a messy issue this is", said a diplomat "and how much work is still needed to solve it".