Sarkozy not seeking eurozone chair, says minister

PARIS Oct 23 (Reuters) - France wants the leaders of countries using the euro currency to hold regular meetings, but President Nicolas Sarkozy is not pushing to chair such a group, European Affairs Minister Jean-Pierre Jouyet said on Thursday.

Sarkozy organised the first ever gathering of the 15 leaders from the euro zone this month to draw up a global response to the financial crisis and Jouyet said it would be good to pursue the practice.

"It seems normal to me that these meetings take place at the level of head of state and government," Jouyet told a group of foreign journalists.

"After EU states agree on the principle of this and there is a political organisation, the designation (of a president) will follow," he added.

France holds the rotating six-month EU presidency and will pass the baton to the Czech Republic followed by Sweden in 2009. Neither of them is signed up to the euro currency.

Le Monde newspaper reported on Wednesday that Sarkozy wanted to lead a high-level Eurogroup for the next 12 months until euro zone member Spain took over the EU presidency at the start of 2010 and could combine the two roles.

Some politicians have accused Sarkozy of seeking to extend his political influence, but Jouyet insisted others might chair the discussions, including Luxembourg Prime Minster Jean-Claude Juncker, who already presides over monthly meetings of the Eurogroup's finance ministers.

"If it is Jean-Claude Juncker it is Jean-Claude Juncker. What is important is that the impetus, the energy and the pro-activity remains in place," he added.

"I think we need a good visibility for the euro zone ... We can use the fact we have a common currency as a diplomatic instrument," he said.

Sarkozy made a plea for greater EU "economic governance" in a speech to the European Parliament on Tuesday.

Germany has traditionally bristled at the idea, fearing it might undermine the independence of the European Central Bank and create divisions within the full, 27-nation European Union.

Jouyet indicated that Paris still needed to convince Berlin about the merits of reinforced cooperation between euro zone leaders, adding that Sarkozy would discuss the issue at talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel next month.

"I think it is better to talk about strengthened European economic union rather than economic governance, because that term is very popular in France, but not elsewhere," he said.

Whatever the terminology, he insisted that the euro zone needed a higher political profile as its importance grew.

"Whether you are in or out, it is clear that the centre of gravity in the European Union is focused on the euro zone and the euro. I have been very struck by this," he said. (Editing by Richard Balmforth)