European Union (EU) leaders hailed the appointment of Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Manuel Durao Barroso as the European Commission (EC) president Tuesday.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair said that his Portuguese counterpart supported economic reforms and strong ties with the US.

"He's the right man. He's an excellent candidate for the EU," Blair told reporters after a special summit attended by EU leaders Tuesday night.

The appointment was also welcomed by French President Jacques Chirac, who called Durao Barroso "a competent man, a man of dialogue".

Earlier, Prime Minister Indulis Emsis of Latvia - one of 10 new EU members - said the new European Commission president would "be able to sustain good trans-Atlantic links, which is very important for us".

"He is from a small country which is also good for us," he added.

At an EU summit earlier this month, contrasting views between Germany and France on one side and Britain and Italy on another led to the 25 EU leaders' failure to choose a new commission chief and their delay to make the decision.

Durao Barroso is seen as sufficiently pro-European for the French and Germans, but, as a supporter of the war in Iraq, is also acceptable to Britain, Italy and Poland.

Source: Xinhua