Irish EU presidency to focus on jobs

THE Government is to focus on job creation and resolving deep divisions over the European Union constitution in its six- month EU presidency.

Speaking at EU headquarters in Brussels, Foreign Minister Brian Cowen said the Irish programme will concentrate on the issues that interest ordinary people.

However, they have also inherited the huge task of putting the pieces back together again, following the collapse of talks to agree the constitution document last weekend. The pitfall compounds lingering bitterness among EU nations over Iraq, which also deeply split the union earlier this year.