Cameron’s eurozone action call as fierce row flares with Sarkozy

After a six-hour summit in Brussels, he said progress was being made but more had to be achieved in the run-up to another crunch summit in the city on Wednesday, which he confirmed he would be attending.

Mr Cameron said: “More progress is needed in the days ahead. There will be another summit on Wednesday and I will be there.”

But he clashed with French president Nicolas Sarkozy in a two-hour tussle over whether non-eurozone leaders should take part at all in the final Wednesday deliberations.

Mr Cameron insisted that all leaders should be present to discuss issues which could affect all of them in one way or another.

President Sarkozy, according to European Union officials, said he was sick of reading in the newspapers about advice Mr Cameron and his Chancellor were offering the eurozone.

He said George Osborne had been present yesterday for the agreement on strengthening banks – an issue which affects all 27 countries, although Britain will not need to take action.

Now, on the two remaining issues involving only the eurozone, he argued that Britain and the rest should stay away.

The argument ran on, with Mr Cameron finally winning a concession involving a one-hour meeting of the 27 leaders before the 17 broke away separately for final negotiations.

The Prime Minister said there had been talks on whether the 27 should meet first or second, pointing out that if the 17 had the final say, Europe would risk destabilising market confidence if the other 10 then tried to “unpick” the deal.

Mr Cameron set the tone for the clash on arrival yesterday, warning as he entered the summit that the eurozone crisis was hitting all EU economies. “The eurozone countries must come together and take Continued on Page 4.