EU to decide on Draghi's ECB appointment Friday.

BRUSSELS, June 24 (Itar-Tass) -- The European Union summit will on
Friday decide on the appointment of Italy's central banker Mario Draghi to
succeed Jean-Claude Trichet as head of the European Central Bank, European
Council President Herman Van Rompuy said.
He sidestepped questions about French demands that the existing
Italian member of the ECB's executive board Lorenzo Bini Smaghi must step
down to make way for a Frenchman once Draghi takes over.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi asked Smaghi to voluntarily
resign, however there was no response so far from the financier whose
mandate is valid for two more years.
On Thursday the European Parliament approved the appointment of Draghi
for President of the European Central Bank. Draghi, 63, would take over
the job later this year from Trichet who occupied the post since 2003.