Jostling for the job of Nato secretary-general is already under way. Javier Salona, the Spanish socialist who grew out of his early passion to stop his country from joining Nato to become a much admired secretary-general, has told colleagues in Brussels that he proposes to step down next year to bid for the prime ministership back home. If Solana makes it, expect Carlos Westendorp to go with him as foreign minister.
So who is in the running? Dutch prime minister Wim Kok looks like the favourite, although Germany's Volker R?he could probably have it for the asking if Kohl loses the German election to Gerhard Schr?der. But some smart money is going on the deceptively soft- spoken Danish defence minister, Hans Haekkerup, even if he loses his job after the Danish elections. Something of a hero in the Baltic states, where he has done more than any other Nato politician to smooth their way to eventual Nato membership, Haekkerup has managed to put Denmark firmly onto the American list of reliable members. He was quick to send a third of the Danish military cargo fleet (which meant one Hercules aircraft) to the latest Gulf build-up, and one of his sons is serving with the Danish contingent in Bosnia.
And the Danes are owed a favour. The last time the secretary-general's job came up, the Americans were appalled at the prospect of the former Dutch premier Ruud Lubbers getting the job. Despite Margaret Thatcher's affection for him, Lubbers has a reputation for a certain waywardness. But to be sure of stopping Lubbers, the Americans needed a stalking horse, and the Danes provided one. These matters are remembered in Washington.
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the italians are not at all pleased with the British presidency. Not content with symbolising their proud cultural heritage as a pizza in the hideous presidential logo, the organisers of the big London conference have neglected to offer Italian translation. Let them speak Czech, or Polish or even Hungarian. And let them eat pizza.
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the usually emollient Dutch are getting cross with everybody. Understandably furious with the French for trying to block Wim Duisenberg's bid to run the new European central bank, they also enraged Robin Cook by accusing him of not being a good European during the Gulf crisis. Now they are angry with the Americans for excluding them from the forthcoming meeting to work out how to fix the global financial system after the Asian crisis.
Sweden, Belgium and Switzerland have also not been invited-but are not making nearly so much fuss. The Dutch stroppiness is partly to do with its colonial links with Indonesia, partly to do with the prickly pride of finance minister Gerrit Zalm. Above all, it is based on the conviction that a new Bretton Woods system is coming together, and the Dutch do not want to be fobbed off with involvement at one remove, through the EU and the Euro-X group.
There is an interesting lesson here for Britain. The Dutch reckon that the G7-or even the G10-will continue to be a much more important club for global economic management than the Euro-X group. If they are right, then Britain may not suffer much from staying out of the first wave of the euro. But wait for the British tabloids to catch on to the latest ploy of French finance minister Dominique Strauss-Kahn. He wants Austria to chair the first Euro-X meetings in May, shouldering aside the Brits who should be presiding as EU president.
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interesting that the CBI and the Lord Mayor of London brought a steel band to Brussels for their three-day visit. Pity about the rain bouncing off the steel drums, which rather dampened the intended effect of showing that the multi-cultural Brits want to be good Europeans. Still, having come by Eurostar, they have all been converted to the need for a fast-track link at the British end. Maybe the City will come to John Prescott's help after all.
