Brussels, 03/12/2002 (Agence Europe) - The President of the European Central Bank (ECB), Wim Duisenberg, has a priori no intention of prolonging his mandate beyond the scheduled date of July 2003, but confirmed that he could remain a little longer to ensure a smooth passage of power. "To prevent any misunderstanding, I have not expressed the desire to stay in place beyond what I've announced", he told the Parliamentary Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs on Tuesday, in answer to a question by Othmar Karas (Austrian EPP-ED). "In fact, it's true, I only have one wish: go fishing", the president of the ECB concluded. In a letter "I sent to Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, in February," he recalled, "I said that I wanted to leave my job on a given date, but that I was prepared to stay a little longer in the interest of a smooth transition to the new regime, as long as others regard it necessary". At that same time, the ECB had published a press release announcing that Mr. Duisenberg would leave his job on 9 July 2003, the day of his 68th birthday. Well before, he had let it be known that due to his age he did no intend staying to the end of his mandate, which began on 1 June 1998.