Estonia's President Ilves joins list for top EU job

Nov 12, 2009, 16:44 GMT

Tallinn - Toomas Hendrik Ilves, the incumbent president of the small Baltic state of Estonia, became the latest name Thursday to enter the race for the job of European Council President.

The Baltic News Service reported that Prime Minister Andrus Ansip told a news conference in Tallinn: 'I put forward... the name of Toomas Hendrik Ilves as a candidate fit for the position of both president and high representative for foreign policy. I do not think his chances are highly improbable.'

However, Ansip also spoke positively about other potential candidates including the UK's Tony Blair, Luxembourg's Jean-Claude Juncker and Belgium's Herman van Rompuy.

Ilves' name was first mentioned as a possible candidate for president last month by influential Polish policymaker Jacek Saryusz-Wolski, but at the time he refused to confirm if he was interested in the role.

But now it seems he is doubling his chances by being in the running for both positions at once.

His office as unavailable for comment Thursday night, but did issue a statement on his behalf stressing his commitment to his current job.

'As far as I am concerned, in the fall of 2006 I was elected president of the republic of Estonia for five years, and I will work to fulfill those duties,' he said.

'I hope that on November 19 in Brussels the European Union Council shall elect a president and foreign policy representative based on the internal coherence of the European Union and the principle of equality,' he said, in a broad hint that Eastern Europe should get at least one of the positions.

Ilves becomes the second president of a former Soviet Bloc country to have his name put forward, following Latvia's former President Vaira Vike-Freiberga.

Born in Stockholm to emigre Estonian parents in 1953, he has worked as a journalist, MEP and ambassador and speaks fluent English, German and Spanish as well as Estonian.