It's being said Javier Solana's new Foreign Minister post is in limbo. I find it a bit ironic the best word to describe Solana's situation is religious. Some believe limbo to be a prison type place that exists on the outskirts of hell. In their system of reasoning, limbo is the place for souls who didn't have the opportunity to either accept or deny Christ. In other words, these souls are in a state where only God knows what will happen to them. They are in limbo.

This brings us back to Solana. Watching his rise has its own description. For me, it's been like a roller coaster ride. It began slowly in 1999 with Solana's sudden appearance among a 10-nation military alliance. The ride gained speed when, in July of 2000, Solana's 10-nation alliance was made the EU's military wing. And, in December of 2000, the ride provided an unbelievable rush when I discovered Recommendation 666.

Now, the man and the ride are in a state of limbo. Solana is eager to step into his new, super Foreign Minister post called for in the failed constitution. However, power yet resides with the EU member states. As long as one state continues to say no to the constitution, it's the same as all states saying no. And, most agree that in the near future they'll never all say yes. Here's why:

The 25 EU member states are currently divided into three basic groups. One group believes the EU's new constitution should be ratified as is without changes. Another group believes the constitution should be tweaked a little and resubmitted to the people. The last group accepts that the constitution is dead. So, what it wants to do is take certain elements from the constitution and implement them under existing treaties.

What I find interesting is what they have in common. It seems, for the most part, they all want what the constitution has to offer. This is especially true when it comes to the EU's need for a common foreign and security policy. The EU heads agree that a coordinated structure, under the control of someone or some group, must be brought into place. But, they don't agree on how this is goal should to be accomplished.

That's why Solana has the green light to go ahead with constructing all the military and civilian capabilities that will be needed when the EU's structured coordination problem is resolved Read about it here. Evidently, the heads feel the capabilities can be legally set in place under existing EU treaties, but who will be in charge over the capabilities can't. In other words, if they build it, he'll come.

I wonder if he'll come from limbo.