Pat Cox, in Prague, indicates he would be willing to run for EU Commission presidency

The head of European Parliament Pat Cox -in Prague on Monday -indicated he would be willing to run for the post of president of the European Commission. Speaking in Prague, Mr Cox added however, he did not know whether he would be asked to do so. In a little under one month's time current EU Commission president Romano Prodi will step down from his post to be replaced by a new head of the Commission elected by the European Council. Names that have been mentioned in connection with the post along with Mr Cox include Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, considered the favourite, as well as others like Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schussel, or European Commissioner for External Relations Chris Patten.