Miliband and Belgium PM in race for top EU posts

By Luke Baker

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Belgian leader Herman Van Rompuy and David Miliband have emerged as the front-runners for two top jobs in the European Union, but the foreign secretary has distanced himself from the post of foreign policy chief.

European diplomats say there is strong backing among the 27 EU member states for Van Rompuy to become the bloc's president and for Miliband to be high representative for foreign affairs.

The foreign secretary has said repeatedly he is not available, and a spokesman for the Socialist group in the European Parliament said he believed he would not seek the post.

"It seems the British foreign secretary said he does not intend to quit active political life in Great Britain," said spokesman Dimitris Komodromos.

He said party leader Poul Nyrup Rasmussen had discussed the job with Miliband at the weekend. The 44-year-old minister, a potential leader of the Labour Party, had ruled out any interest and former Italian Prime Minister Massimo D'Alema would now be backed as the Socialist candidate, he said.

The post of president of the Council of EU leaders is being created under the EU's Lisbon treaty, designed to make decision-making smoother at the top of a political and trading bloc representing nearly 500 million people.

The high representative for foreign affairs will have enhanced powers under the treaty, to help the bloc raise its global profile and match the rise of emerging powers such as China following the economic crisis.

Although Miliband might yet be the next foreign policy chief, Britain's Europe minister said London was still backing former Prime Minister Tony Blair for the EU president role. Britain cannot be seen to back two candidates at once.