Another Diplomatic Row between Belgium and the US over Iraq

from nu.nl

11 April 2003

BRUSSELS - A new row over Iraq is threatening between the United States and Belgium. The long resistance of the Verhofstadt government regarding NATO assistance for Turkey in connection with the war on Iraq had already enraged the Americans.Now the Americans are furious that Belgium is refusing to seal off the Iraqi embassy in Brussels.

This defiant attitude can result in the loss of the NATO seat in Brussels according to the American ambassador to Belgium, Brauer. The building of a new NATO headquarters should begin in a few years. The Belgian government states that it has reached an agreement with the military alliance. Brauer suggested however in an interview in the Flemish business newspaper Financieel-Economische Tijd that the Belgian position could influence the decisions to be made about the new building.

Security

The US ambassador asked in a letter on Thursday for the Iraqi embassy to be sealed off, in order to prevent diplomats from leaving with assets or documents. The ambassador also requested the expulsion of Iraqi diplomats. Previously the US had asked for extra security at the embassy building. The Belgian authorities have honoured this last request.

Belgium refuses however to honour the request to seal off the embassy. According to a spokesperson for the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Iraqi assets in Belgium has been frozen since 1991. In addition to this, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Michel, is furious about a passage in the letter in which Brauer asks for the embassy to be sealed off, according to the spokesman. The letter states that that Belgium must demonstrate "that it does not cling to the past regime."

Misplaced

These words convinced Michel not to honour the American request. "The terms used in the communiqué are misplaced", according to Michel's spokesperson. The minister emphasises that he has always distanced himself from Saddam Hussein. He finds the American choice of words "in bad taste". The Iraqi chargé d'affaires in Brussels continues to defend the Saddam regime and says that his country has been occupied by the Americans.

The American ambassador in Brussels also criticises the Belgian media in the interview. He feels that their war reporting has been extremely one-sided and that too much attention has been given to the Palestinian question, for example.