French President Jacques Chirac on Wednesday made a last-ditch effort to urge Britain to play its full part in the financing of the European Union 2007-2013 budget.

"Everyone should contribute to the European effort in proportion to its means and the United Kingdom must play its full part in the financing of an enlarged Europe," Chirac was quoted as saying by his spokesman Jean-Francois Cope.

The remarks were made on the eve of a EU summit meeting in Brussels.

The president also reaffirmed that it is out of the question to renegotiate the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which provides subsidies to farmers in France and elsewhere, and which British Prime Minister Tony Blair said should be rethought.

The October 2002 agreement, which ensures the financing of the agricultural subsidies until 2013 and from which France is among the biggest beneficiaries, "is imperative to everyone and should be fully respected," Chirac said.

The direct subsidies to European farmers under the CAP amount to more than 300 billion euros (about 363 billion US dollars), or some 40 percent of the entire EU budget.

Chirac and Blair have clashed over the EU budget in the lead-up to the summit, with the British leader saying after a meeting with the French president in Paris on Tuesday that there was little prospect of their "sharp disagreement" being resolved.

Blair reiterated that he would agree to renegotiate a long-term freeze on Britain's 4.6-billion-euro (about 5.58 billion US dollars) EU budget rebate, only if there are further big cuts in the overall budget, noting it was wrong to spend 40 percent of the EU budget on agriculture.

"It is difficult to see these differences being bridged," he said, pledging to continue discussion with Luxembourg Prime Minister and Current EU president Jean-Claude Juncker.

Chirac, backed by most EU countries, has repeatedly called on Britain to give up its rebate from its EU budget contributions.

In response to Chirac's call to avoid adding new "financial difficulties to the current political crisis in Europe" and to reach "a fair and reasonable agreement," Blair said "it is better to get the right deal than a slapped-together compromise that does not work."

Britain, like each of the EU states, has a veto and has threatened to use it at the summit to block any move to force it to yield. It will take over the rotating EU presidency from Luxembourg on July 1.

Source: Xinhua