Strasbourg, 14/06/2000 (Agence Europe) - EP Liberal Group Chair Pat Cox has announced that, at the summit of Liberal leaders next Sunday, he will urge Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt to ask the European Council meeting the following day to initiate a procedure for assessing relations with Austria, so as to come up with a solution to the problem of the bilateral sanctions imposed by the Fourteen. "I hope Guy Verhofstadt will endorse this call", said Mr Cox, observing that the heavy agenda ahead of the EU in the run-up to the Nice Summit would be facilitated by a better "political climate". It would be "helpful" if Austria could give the others a little "space" to find a solution, without "too much pressure", continued Mr Cox.