European Union leaders arrive in Brussels today to negotiate a constitutional treaty amid a mounting crisis over who should succeed Mr Romano Prodi as president of the European Commission.
The Taoiseach will recommend to leaders over dinner this evening that they should choose Belgian Prime Minister Mr Guy Verhofstadt as the candidate with most support.
Britain yesterday made clear, however, that it is determined to block Mr Verhofstadt, who is viewed in London as too federalist in his approach to European affairs.
"The UK does not support Mr Verhofstadt for the presidency," a senior British official told reporters in Brussels. The official said the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, wanted EU leaders to have a serious discussion about the nature of the job "and about the range of people who may be available to do that job".
Despite Mr Ahern's repeated denials, some Fianna Fáil TDs believe the Taoiseach will let his name go forward for the post if an impasse remains.
The Taoiseach yesterday met individually with a number of TDs, including Cork East's Mr Ned O'Keeffe, in line with the promise made on Tuesday night.
Later, MrO'Keeffe said: "I would love to see that made available to Ireland because it would give us great influence in the European Union."
Meanwhile, a former FF MEP, Mr Mark Killilea, said any Irish politician offered the post should take it, though he did not specifically mention Mr Ahern.
Mr Verhofstadt also faces opposition from Italy and Poland, and perhaps from a number of other eastern European states with close links to the United States. He does, however, have strong backing from France and especially Germany, which said last night it would keep its support for him despite the UK opposition.
A senior Irish presidency source said yesterday that although the Commission president can be chosen by qualified majority, the Taoiseach favours a "consensual" approach to making the appointment. "He feels that the best result is not one that would leave key people feeling unhappy," the source said.
Some EU leaders have this week sought to persuade Luxembourg's Mr Jean-Claude Juncker to reconsider his decision to serve a further term as the Grand Duchy's prime minister.
The Taoiseach said last month that Mr Juncker enjoyed "overwhelming support" from EU leaders, but the Luxembourger insisted yesterday that he would not change his mind.
"I'm having to take lots of European phone calls at the moment. The pressure is enormous, but I'm not letting myself be pressured. I don't like to be impolite so I'm taking each call and then saying 'no'," he said.
The Irish presidency believes that Mr Juncker's decision is final. "We have heard the emphatic, explicit and repeated comments by Prime Minister Juncker and I think we are disposed when Prime Minister Juncker speaks in these terms to accept that that indeed is his settled approach," a senior presidency official said.
Mr Daniel Cohn-Bendit, leader of the European Greens, said yesterday that he would seek to block Mr Verhofstadt's appointment in an effort to persuade Mr Juncker to accept the Commission post.
The Commission president must be approved, along with the rest of the new Commission, by the European Parliament before taking office in November.
