Present and future EU nations said on Wednesday they were in favor of the creation of a European foreign minister post and bridged their disagreement on the Iraq war at a signing ceremony for the Union's ten new member states in Athens.

Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia formally signed treaties of accession that will make them part of the EU on May 1, 2004. The two-day long summit, capped by fireworks festivities, was originally scheduled to be no more than a signing ceremony.

But the Iraq war and sharp disagreement within the EU changed the talking points. Observers feared the gap between EU nations on the U.S.-led military invasion of Iraq would make the summit a tumultuous affair.

The opposite seemed to happen as leaders split over the military invasion promised to put the past behind them. Germany and France, heavily anti-war, and Spain and Great Britain, who took part in the U.S.-led military invasion, agreed on a two-part statement that urged the United Nations to assume an "important" and "essential" role in Iraq's reconstruction.

"We agree on the importance of the role of the United Nations," said British Prime Minister Tony Blair, following a meeting with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. "I would like to see the United States, ourselves, Europe working in partnership together to make that clear."

Spain, Denmark and the Netherlands said they were willing to send peacekeeping troops to Iraq, even without a U.N. mandate. "There is a desperate need for stability in Iraq," said Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen." We can't wait for a U.N. resolution."

Responding to U.S. President George W. Bush's recent comments that sanctions should be lifted in Iraq, French President Jacques Chirac said on Wednesday: "It is up to the United Nations to define the modalities of the lifting of sanctions." Chirac also said he would permit the U.S. to phase in the "essential role of the U.N." in Iraq.

Still disagreement on EU president

In order to avoid such a split in the future, German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer urged member countries to name a joint foreign minister who would speak for Europe on international issues. Now the foreign policy work is split between Chris Patten, EU Commissioner for External Affairs, and Javier Solana, the EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy.

"The EU wasn't built to cope with questions of war and peace. This has changed in recent years but we are still not there," said Fischer, who is a reported favorite for that position, should it be created.

Other requests for changes in the structure of the European Union begged attention as well. A commission working on the European Union's first constitution is due to complete work by the end of June. There are a number of disputes that still remain.

The EU's smaller nations, both current and future, met before the summit and agreed to disagree with a proposal to create a president from the Council of the European Union, who would become the public face of the EU.

The smaller countries, led by Luxembourg, fear that the EU Commission, which now balances the needs of large and small countries, would be weakened as a result. The proposal is heavily favored by countries like Great Britain, France and Spain.

Fischer said the differences "can be bridged."

50 arrested in protests

As the leaders met inside the historic Attalos Statoh, the former marketplace of ancient Athens, anti-war and pro-Bush protestors tusseled with police outside.

Police arrested 50 people taking part in a demonstration at nearby Syntagma Square that threatened to spiral out of control. Around 7,000 demonstrated and then marched through the diplomatic quarter, throwing rocks, paint and Molotov cocktails near the British, French and Italian embassies.