Blair urges EU leaders to agree on budget deal

British Prime Minister &to=http://english.pravda.ru/world/20/91/365/15769_Blair.html' target=_blank>Tony Blair called on fellow European Union leaders Friday to make up their minds on a new budget as he prepared to table Britain's final proposal Friday.

Blair said the budget talks continuing into the night Friday were "extraordinarily complicated," with each country protecting its own interests.

He called his proposal "a fair and reasonable package" and urged his colleagues to agree on the 2007-2013 budget.

"People are really going to have to make up their minds if they will want to do the deal," Blair told reporters during a break in the talks that began Thursday night.

"The spirit in which people talked has been immensely constructive," he said. "People genuinely know it's time for Europe to reach a deal and move on."

He reiterated that it was a priority to "make sure that we can finance the economic development in the new member states."