Rifts healed as EU leaders focus on rebuilding Iraq

Mr Blair again stressed the importance of the United Nations in rebuilding Iraq during a meeting with Secretary General Kofi Annan.

But as rifts were healed inside the conference centre, demonstrators hurled petrol bombs outside.

And Mr Blair’s presence was blamed for provoking the violence in local reports as the British Embassy and a British Airways office were attacked.

The Prime Minister had called on demonstrators to respect the motives of those leaders who had decided to go to war.

“I respect the right of people to take the view that the war was wrong but I hope they also respect our motives in saying that we acted as we did because we genuinely thought it was in the best interests of the Iraqi people and the wider world.”

Mr Blair was answering a local journalist, who said his attendance at the summit, called to mark the introduction of 10 new states to the EU club, had provoked the worst violence in Athens for three decades.

The embassy was pelted with stones while a banner reading “killers, imperialists” was draped over the BA offices.

Ten thousand officers were on the streets and tear gas was fired at some of the 7,000 anti-war and anti-capitalist protesters.

The ugly scenes marred a day that saw the EU’s pro and anti-war factions coming together to focus attention on rebuilding Iraq.

Mr Blair and Mr Chirac had a “perfectly amiable” 25- minute chat on Iraq and other issues after a “chance” meeting.

Relations had gone beyond the “kiss and make up” stage, a Downing Street spokesman said.

And a spokeswoman for Mr Chirac said it was a question of finding “a balance” between the UN’s essential role and that of coalition troops.

Their meeting followed talks between Mr Blair and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, another leading dove, in Hanover last night.

Earlier, Mr Blair called for a major shake-up to give the European Union more clout in foreign policy.

An enlarged EU of 25 member states needed a more powerful voice on the world stage.

That voice should be provided by a full-time EU president, responsible to the member governments, giving the EU “strategic direction“.

The Prime Minister attempted to put the political disputes over Iraq to one side, insisting that the EU now needed a figurehead – “someone the White House can call“, as one Government official put it.

The idea got a mixed reaction at the summit – with Commission President Romano Prodi fearing the move could undermine his own role.

He said huge strides had been made to streamline the EU to make it more effective from next year, when ten new member states join.

But there was agreement that the EU should have what amounts to a foreign minister in future – a single foreign policy supremo, combining the jobs currently held by Chris Patten, the external relations Commissioner, and by Javier Solana, the EU’s higher representative on foreign and security policy.