30/08/2002 (Agence Europe) - After a meting with his Dutch counterpart Jan Peter Balkenende, Belgium's Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt confirmed that the Benelux countries would be presenting a memorandum proposing alternatives to the rotating half-yearly EU Council Presidency. It is important not to "slip into a system managed by a directorate of big countries", commented Mr Verhofstadt. The new Head of the Dutch Government stated that, after the presentation of the conclusions of the European Convention, the Benelux countries would have to represent a united front.