November 21, 2007 (LPAC)--German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Italian Premier Romano Prodi do not want Tony Blair to become "European Chairman" next year. Italian media report that the two heads of government agreed on this in the Italian-German bilateral meeting yesterday near Berlin. Blair's candidacy had been pushed especially by France's Nicolas Sarkozy.

The Italian-German bilateral meeting has apparently brought the two countries closer, as they agreed also on Kosovo and Afghanistan policies. Both countries are against the unilateral independence of Kosovo.

The issue of upgrading the north-south logistical and infrastructure corridors was also discussed. Italian Development Minister Bersani said: "Our [Italian] ports can represent a transit node for German goods traveling to Asia, and become an alternative to northern [ports]." Cooperation agreements in aerospace and railways were signed, and cooperation in scientific research projects was discussed.