03/11/2009 (Agence Europe) - The Belgian Prime Minister, Herman Van Rompuy, is believed to be the favourite to become the first permanent President of the European Council, according to the news agency AFP, quoting a "European diplomat" on Monday: "there is a consensus on his name, which is very rare when there are 27 of you. There is unanimity on no one else" (our translation). The rumour, obviously unconfirmed at this stage (the Swedish Presidency has only just started its consultations), has been widely reported in the Belgian press which quotes diplomatic sources confirming that Mr Van Rompuy has been "approached by senior figures in Europe", including Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy, who are believed to agree that the job should go to one of the three Benelux Prime Ministers. Of the three, it is believed that the Belgian is the only one to enjoy consensus among his counterparts of the Twenty-Seven. Watch this space... (H.B./trans.fl)