"Judge me by what I do, you will feel proud of me," said Ashton at the same occasion, adding that "I now turn to European Parliament to hopefully endorse what has been put forward by the Council."

The two new top posts are regulated by the Lisbon Treaty, which is due to come into force on December 1, 2009. The role of the EU president is to chair the EU's summit, while the foreign policy supremo is to head the EU's foreign policy arm.

The foreign policy chief -- who is also to be a member of the executive European Commission -- needs approval from European Commission President Barroso and the European Parliament.

"The Kissinger issue is now solved," said Barroso, referring to the question put forward by US former secretary of state Henry Kissinger. Kissinger said earlier, "Who do I call when I want to speak to Europe? "

Barroso said that US President Barack Obama could call Ashtonnow because she would be in charge of European foreign affairs.

Sweden's Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt (R), whose country holds the EU rotating presidency, talks with Belgium's Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy during a press conference after an EU summit at the EU Council headquarters in Brussels, capital of Belgium, Nov. 19, 2009. Van Rompuy was elected the first full-time EU President during an extraordinary summit in Brussels Thursday. [Thierry Monasse/Xinhua]

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