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Europe

'Get ready for break-up,' says top Belgian minister

2010-09-06

[Khaleej Times] A top Belgian politician warned the country's citizens on Sunday to 'get ready for the break-up of Belgium,' as King Albert II seeks to relaunch knife-edge coalition talks. Leading francophone Socialist Laurette Onkelinx, considered a potential successor to party chief Elio Di Rupo, who gave up on negotiations with separatist Flemish leaders on Friday, gave her prognosis in a newspaper interview. 'Let's hope it doesn't come to that because if we split, it will be women and minorities the weakest who will pay the heaviest price,' she told La Derniere Heure. 'On the other hand, we can no longer ignore that among a large part of the Flemish population, it's their wish. So yes, we have to get ready for the break-up of Belgium. Otherwise we're cooked. 'When I look at the letters I receive, loads of people think it's possible. (Our) politicians have to be prepared,' underlined the current caretaker federal minister for health and social affairs. Albert II tasked late on Saturday the respective speakers of Belgium's French-speaking Wallonia and Dutch-speaking Flanders state parliaments to try once more to navigate seven-party talks aimed at securing some form of government, other than the existing day-to-day formation. That came after seven weeks of efforts by Di Rupo, who says that the biggest Flemish party, the independence-minded New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), rejected the widest set of concessions towards full autonomy for Flanders in Belgium's tortured recent history. Belgium, which holds the rotating presidency of the European Union until the end of the year, adding a further layer to the pressure on the sovereign, has not been able to point to a stable government since June 2007. The stark comments from Onkelinx followed those of another leading francophone Socialist, Philippe Moureaux, who has said Belgium was on the verge of a 'progressive organisation of separation.' Formerly taboo among the poorer francophone parts of Belgium, the prospect of going it alone is no longer considered so -- with a third senior official, the head of the Wallonia state government, Rudy Demotte, also telling RTBF radio that 'all options' are now open. Demotte added that Wallonia and the capital region of Brussels, the third federal state and increasingly the focus of arguments about financial settlements, had the wherewithal 'to see what we can do ourselves without waiting for tomorrow.' While located within Flanders' borders, Brussels is officially bi-lingual, although recent studies have shown accelerating numbers of registered French speakers, including the nearly one-in-three who hail from abroad. Tens of thousands of Flemish people, meanwhile, took part on Sunday in an annual demonstration which consists in symbolically 'encircling' Brussels by bike or on foot, to remind locals that they are surrounded by Flanders.

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-Lurid Crime Tales-

Gangster wants new brain identity

2007-05-11

BRUSSELS - Gangster and former state policeman Robert Beijer says he is willing to disclose details about the murder of Francis Zwarts 25 years ago. He will only talk however if the justice ministry agrees to give him a new identity. Beijer was linked in the past with the Nivelles Gang, responsible for 28 deaths and a series of robberies and attacks in the first half of the 1980s. Beijer is in Thailand and wants to return to Belgium. In exchange for a new identity he will tell authorities where to find Zwarts' body. "Give me a new id and I'll tell youse where da stiff is." The gangster wants to negotiate with Justice Minister Laurette Onkelinx (Socialist Party PS) but she has refused so far. "Nope." Beijer is threatening to go to the press and reveal the location of Zwarts' body if Onkelinx continues to refuse to make any concessions. "Listen, if you don't give me a fake id, not only will I not tell you where the body is buried, I'll tell the press! That'll show you!"

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Europe

Street riots in Brussels following Moroccan prisoner's death

2006-09-28

For the second night in a row, there were severe riots in the streets of Brussels on Tuesday following the death of a young Moroccan prisoner in a Belgian jail. Youngsters ran amok in the streets around the Brussels Midi Station and set fire to several cars that were parked in the area. They also threw molotov cocktails at a hospital and caused a fire, according to a Belgian news website "Flandersnews.be." Belgian dailies reported Wednesday that police took forty five people into custody Tuesday night. The immediate cause for the riots was the sudden death of a young Moroccan inmate in the prison of Vorst, a Brussels municipality. The 25-year old, who was not named, died last weekend after he'd been given a few tranquilizers. Belgian Justice Minister Laurette Onkelinx visited the deceased man's family on Tuesday. The riots started on Monday evening following news about the prisoner's death.

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Home Front: Politix

And so it begins: Euros begin investigation of Swiftgate

2006-06-27

Thanks, Bill Keller. Enjoy your vacation, you've certainly earned it. Justice Minister Laurette Onkelinx has responded with surprise to revelations late last week that the US government was able to examine international financial transactions over several years as part of its so-called war on terror. The Socialist PS a Socialist, eh? yeah I was shocked too minister said she was "completely unaware" of the practice. Her ministry said on Saturday that the security service VS-SE and the federal police money laundering unit (CFI in Dutch) will now investigate the matter. The Interior Ministry "officially denied" that the minister was aware of the US practices, first revealed by fishwrap 'New York Times' newspaper 'De Standaard'. "The minister was, just as the prime minister, completely unaware. She only heard it on Friday, via the media," Onkelinx' spokesman said. Consequently, Onkelinx requested a complete report about the matter, both from the VS-SE and the CFI. The federal police unit was also was also asked to draw up a legal analysis of the situation. Financial institutes in Belgium are obligated by law to report suspicious transactions to the CFI in an effort to prevent money laundering and the financing of terrorism. The National Bank of Belgium (NBB) confirmed on Saturday it was aware of the fact that US authorities could examine transactions via Swift. The NBB released an official statement after media reports broke on Friday. But an NBB spokesman refused to confirm when the reserve bank was informed about Swift's actions, revealing only that it was informed in an informal manner via its contacts with the firm. The NBB said further it saw no ethical problems in Swift's actions. Despite the fact Swift had to comply with various standards to ensure a smooth working of the financial sector, the NBB also said America's espionage tactics did not place the sector's operations at threat. I should note here that this is one politician making faces and rolling her eyes here; the actual banking/financial industry types don't seem too upset. Of course, they need to deal with the regulatory anaconda that *is* the EU body politic, so they may end up making faces too...

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Europe

Belgium Plan to combat problem of mother, child beggars

2006-03-15

Federal Social Integration Minister Christian Dupont has announced plans to combat the problem of mothers and children begging on Belgian city streets. The announcement was welcomed by Socialist SP.A MP Dalila Douifi, who has raised concerns about the issue. Distressing scenes of mothers seen begging with babies in their arms — particularly during the past few days of freezing cold — have sparked renewed concerns. Research indicates that these babies face enormous health risks and they are often given too much cough syrup. International law bans exposing children to extreme circumstances, such as cold weather. Now THAT's policymaking as it ought to be done. Overuse of cough syrup is clearly a key issue here. It's a good thing there's an international law we can reference, too. Otherwise we'd have to use common sense and compassion. After raising the matter with Interior Minister Patrick Dewael and Justice Minister Laurette Onkelinx, Douifi has since shared her concerns with Minister Dupont. Dupont subsequently announced on Tuesday that he will deploy 12 intercultural mediators to approach the beggars. "The intercultural aspect is not unimportant. For example, the Roma do not always want to be helped. That is part of their culture," Douifi said. One wonders if the Gypsies are the main source of begging in Belgium, or if they are merely one of the groups Belgians feel comfortable looking down on publicly. As opposed to more ... vigorous ... immigrants. The mediators will be deployed in Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent, Liège and Charleroi. Douifi also said there have been positive developments in Antwerp, where city authorities demand that school age children actually attend school. When the children start attending school, their parents are then granted social security. "The problem is very complex: often it is a combination of repressive, preventative and remedial approach that is necessary. The measures from Minister Dupont are the start of a solution," Douifi said. The Socialist SP.A minister also stressed that using children for the purposes of begging is a criminally prosecutable offence.

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Europe

Belgium left red faced after Turkish militant disappears

2006-03-03

lots of lapses by the Belgians lately, including refusing to act on CIA info about nuclear equipment sent to Iran despite being embargoed. Belgium has been left red faced by the disappearance of convicted Turkish militant Fehriye Erdal, who vanished while under surveillance of the intelligence service VS and the Interior Ministry. Erdal had been under intensified surveillance in the past two weeks leading up to her conviction in Brugge Court on Tuesday for links to the Turkish militant group DHKP-C. "And how intense was the surveillance, M. le Inspecteur?" "I cogitated intensely to infer her whereabouts!" She was sentenced in absentia to four years jail and the court ordered her immediate apprehension. However, it was later revealed that Erdal had been missing for 24 hours. An international arrest warrant has now been issued. "Legume! I have cogitated that the wench has absconded! Issue an international arrest warrant immediately!" And the news of Erdal's disappearance dominated front page headlines in Belgian newspapers on Thursday. "Extry! Extry! Read all about it! Intelligence Belgique hoses it again!" "Here, boy! Lemme see that!" Turkish editorials and news broadcasts also paid heavy attention to the issue. Yes, I imagine they might, considering what DHKP-C has been linked to. The DHKP-C militant had been staying in a Belgian government safehouse since the end of March 2000 after her arrest in September 1999 in Duinbergen on suspicion of illegal weapon possession and using a fake passport. safehouse? SAFEHOUSE??? Pardon me, but Whiskey Tango Foxtrot????? Erdal was placed under the supervision of the Interior Ministry after she applied for political asylum in July 2000. If she needed to leave her safehouse — for example to visit a doctor — Erdal needed to ask ministerial permission. ah, of course - she's just a poor misunderstood political refugee "Legume! Did you, perhaps, issue a permission slip for her to go to Outer Mongolia?" "Certainly not, M. le Inspecteur! It was to go to Australia." This occurred on various occasions in the past six years without any problem, but when security service officers went to arrest her on Monday night, Erdal had disappeared. "Where is she?" "I dunno. Said she was goin' to see the docteur!" House raids in Brussels at known DHKP-C addresses yielded nothing. wotta surpise! I feel faint, I'd best go lie down. "Fehriye Erdal? Nope. Nobody by that name here!" "Hokay. Ummm... What's your name?" "Ummm... Fehriye Smith." The Justice Ministry, Interior Ministry and federal public prosecution department were left pointing at each other for an official comment on Wednesday as Belgium was increasingly left red faced by the disappearance. "Wudn't me." "Wudn't me." "Wudn't me. It wuz them!" Eventually, Interior Minister Patrick Dewael and Justice Minister Laurette Onkelinx confirmed in a joint statement on Wednesday night that Erdal had been under intensified supervision of the security service VS since 19 February. However, the VS lost sight of Erdal on Monday night. "Yeah. It wuz them." Adding to the diplomatic pressure on Belgium, Turkey requested the extradition of Erdal on Monday. "Sorry. Can't do it. She's gone to the docteur." It is the third such request. "Again? She's at the docteur again?" "She's been feeling poorly." Erdal's lawyer has said the latest request could be due to the fact Turkey has abolished the death penalty. However, Erdal's extradition is not considered likely because ... she's beat it for parts unknown? she was arrested in relation to a "political offence". The DKHP-C aims to overthrow the Turkish government and has already claimed responsibility for several violent attacks in Turkey. and in Belgian eyes that makes her a political refugee? The place is f*cked up even more than I thought. Remember how much the Euros dislike the Turks, and it begins to make sense. Not a lot of sense, but sense. In a Euro sort of way. Belgian opposition parties are now demanding answers from ministers Dewael and Onkelinx, stressing that both of them have made mistakes in handling the issue. "This incident is damaging for the reputation of our country," Christian Democrat CD&V MP Tony Van Parys said. No - you think?? More on the investigation here, including some biting words from Turkish officials.

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Europe

Inquiry demanded over Belgian nuclear export to Iran

2006-02-03

Opposition party Christian Democrat CD&V is demanding a parliamentary commission investigate the controversial export of a machine to Iran that can be used in the production of nuclear weapons. A report from the intelligence service's supervisory authority, Committee I, indicated on Wednesday that the federal security service VS-SE had made crucial errors handling the incident. The CIA tipped off the Belgian security service about the looming export of an isostatic press in November 2004 to Iran by the Temse-based company Epsi. The press is listed under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, but it was exported to Iran despite the CIA request for Belgian authorities to intervene. The Committee I report lodged in the Senate earlier this week indicated that the VS-SE ignored the tip and withheld crucial information from Justice Minister Laurette Onkelinx. The incident cost the job of the security's service's chief, Koen Dassen, who tendered his resignation on Tuesday night. Despite the report's tabling in the Senate, the CD&V still claims there are unanswered questions. The party's Senators said it remains unclear whether a permit was issued for the press. The CD&V stressed further during a Senate debate on Thursday that an investigation by a parliamentary commission would shed more light on the matter.

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Europe

Belgium plan to combat prison radicalism

2005-12-06

The Belgian security service VS is currently working with the prisons directorate to combat the radicalisation of Muslims in the nation's jails. VS director Koen Dassen said there is no doubt that prisons are a hotbed for radicalisation, having repeatedly pointed to examples in the Guantanamo Bay prison. "Jails form a very concentrated environment where extremists come into contact with each other. Moreover, the punishing effect of prisons means some detainees reject society even further," Dassen said. He said over a period of time this could lead to the radicalisation of prisoners such as in Guantanamo Bay, newspaper 'De Morgen' reported on Monday. However, Dassen refused to reveal definite details about the anti-radicalisation plan. Instead, he said justice authorities will finalise the plan later this month so that it can be implemented at the start of 2006. "We must first detect dangerous elements and then draw up action programmes together with the prisons," he said. An example of prison radicalisation is the convicted killer of Theo van Gogh, the Islamic extremist Mohammed B., who is currently being detained in a Dutch jail. B. recently succeeded in sending extremist documents out of the prison and has twice been caught for spreading subversive material. His attacks on moderate Islam were sent to Muslims in Amsterdam who further spread the text among the Islamic community. In Belgium, the case of the convicted Tunisian terrorist Nizar Trabelsi has sparked the concerns of security services. He has achieved cult status among prisoners at the Lantin jail. However, Dassen has refused to confirm whether the crackdown will allow exceptional search operations. Other sources have said the security service VS can only tap telephone calls to combat radicalism is prisons. However, proposed amendments by Justice Minister Laurette Onkelinx granting police and justice authorities extra powers have already come under fire. Criminal law professor Damien Vandermeersch has warned the minister's plans undermine constitutional rights, such as the right to defending oneself in court.

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Europe

Belgium accuses France of endangering terror raid

2005-12-03

In a dispute that security officials say illustrates the difficulties of creating a united European front against terrorism, Belgian officials on Friday accused France of endangering an anti-terror operation by disclosing that a suicide bomber in Iraq was a Belgian woman. The Belgian authorities said French anti-terrorism officials had nearly foiled a lengthy investigation into an Al Qaeda terrorism network operating in Brussels by revealing the identity of Muriel Degauque - a former baker's assistant turned Islamic suicide bomber - before Belgian anti-terrorist police officers closed in on her cell. They said the French leak had forced the Belgian officers to speed up planned dawn raids that this week resulted in the detainment of 14 suspects, 5 of whom were charged Thursday with involvement in a terrorist network that sent volunteers to Iraq. The network had included Degauque, a 38-year-old Belgian from the old industrial town of Charleroi, who blew herself up in Baghdad on Nov. 9. "We are very concerned that French officials revealed the name of the Belgian suicide bomber before the Belgian police had made any arrests," said Annaik Devoghel, spokeswoman for Laurette Onkelinx, the Belgian justice minister. "This could have compromised an investigation that took months of work." Belgium has yet to confirm who was behind the leak, but Belgian officials said all the evidence pointed to Jean-Louis BruguiÚre, a French anti-terror judge who has been closely involved in the investigation. A Belgian official close to the case, who declined to give his name because of the diplomatic sensitivities of the dispute, said, "How can we trust French officials when they have loose lips?" BruguiÚre was unavailable for comment, despite repeated attempts Friday to reach him. Officials from the Paris tribunal overseeing the French capital's judges declined to comment. Onkelinx, who was attending a two-day meeting of justice ministers in Brussels, told reporters on Thursday that she had raised her concerns to the French Ministry of Internal Affairs. On Friday, the French Ministry of Justice declined to comment. Belgian officials said Degauque had become radicalized after marrying a Belgian of Moroccan origin, who helped convert her to Islam. After the marriage, she changed her name to Myriam, wore a veil and became devoutly religious. She joined a terrorist cell linked to Al Qaeda before traveling to Iraq, where she targeted a U.S. military convoy south of Baghdad. Police officers said a Belgian passport had been found on her body, along with papers which showed she had entered Iraq via Syria. Her husband was killed in Iraq in a separate incident, the police said. EU justice and interior ministers tentatively agreed Friday on plans binding telecommunications companies to retain phone calls and e-mails for a minimum of six months for use in counterterror investigations, diplomats said, The Associated Press reported from Brussels. The compromise, which was agreed to by a majority of EU nations, still needs the approval of the European Parliament, but foresees leaving it up to EU governments to retain such data for from 6 to 24 months, officials said. Italy and Ireland led the opposition to the plan, arguing that new EU legislation would contradict national laws that already go further. However, at the end of the talks, only Poland, Ireland, Slovenia and Slovakia remained opposed, not enough to block the measure.

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Europe

What made a Belgian woman become a suicide bomber?

2005-12-02

How could a young woman turn from Belgian baker's assistant to Baghdad suicide bomber? Belgium has been shocked by revelations that Muriel Degauque, an unassuming woman who grew up near the rust belt city of Charleroi, had entered Iraq from Syria and detonated explosives strapped to her body in a failed attack against US troops. Liliane Degauque, the 38-year-old's mother, told local TV networks that her daughter was "so nice", but began to change when she married an Algerian man and turned to Islamic fundamentalism. The case underlined the growing reach of international terrorism. "It is the first time that we see that a Western woman, a Belgian, marrying a radical Muslim, and is converted up to the point of becoming a jihad fighter," said Glenn Audenaert, the federal police director. In her younger years, Muriel Degauque lived a conventional life in an industrial belt of southern Belgium. Media reports said she finished high school before taking on several jobs, including selling bread in a bakery. They also said that as an adolescent she had run into problems with drugs and alcohol. Authorities say Degauque went on to become a member of a terror cell that embraced al Qaeda's ideology. It included her second husband, who died in a separate terror attack in Iraq. "This is our Belgian kamikaze killed in Iraq," read the headline of yesterday's La Derniere Heure newspaper, over a picture of a smiling young woman looking into the camera. When Liliane Degauque saw police coming to her doorstep on Wednesday, she immediately knew what it was about. She had heard reports that there had been a terrorist attack on November 9 by a Belgian woman. Ms Degauque said: "For three weeks already I tried to contact her by telephone but I got the answering machine." Authorities yesterday formally arrested five of the 14 suspects detained in dawn raids the day before and charged them with involvement in a terrorist network that sent volunteers to Iraq, including Degauque. Nine were released. Those placed under arrest were a Tunisian and four Belgians, three of whom had North African roots. "This action shows how international terrorism tries to set up networks in western European nations, recruit for terror attacks in conflict areas and look for funds to finance terrorism," said Guy Verhofstadt, Belgian prime minister. In France on Wednesday, police in the Paris area arrested a fifteenth suspect, a 27-year-old Tunisian man thought to have had contacts with the Belgian group. Authorities said the Belgian network had been planning to send more volunteers to Iraq for attacks. The raids in Brussels and three other cities across the country, involving more than 200 police officers, followed media reports of the Belgian woman's suicide. Belgium has been mentioned as a breeding ground for terrorists in the past and there are currently 13 Belgian and Moroccan nationals on trial for allegedly being members of an Islamic group suspected in recent bomb attacks in Spain and Morocco. Islamic radical groups linked to al Qaeda are suspected of setting up networks in Belgium and other European nations with large Muslim communities. For many in Belgium, however, Wednesday's arrests were a chilling reminder that that no-one is immune. "Belgium is directly involved in the terrorist threat," said Laurette Onkelinx, the justice minister. The US military yesterday reported that suicide bombings fell in November to their lowest level in seven months after joint US-Iraqi operations west of the capital. In Ramadi, the US military played down reports by residents and police of widespread attacks against American and Iraqi installations there, saying only one rocket-propelled grenade was fired at an observation post, and there were no injuries.

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Europe

Belgium unable to monitor criminals' email until 2007

2005-06-22

Belgian police will not be able to start intercepting emails between criminals until 2007, Justice Minister Laurette Onkelinx said. It is technically possible for police to intercept internet traffic now, but police will not be properly equipped until the end of 2006 at the earliest. The aim is for police to monitor internet traffic, email messages and chat-room messages. Currently, mobile phones are the prime target of police bugging. However, Socialist PS minister Onkelinx has also told a parliamentary committee that legislation needs to be adjusted before police can monitor internet traffic, newspaper 'De Standaard' reported on Wednesday.. Christian Democrat CD&V MP Tony van Parys was critical of the timeframe, claiming it gave a safeguard to criminals who can continue to use the internet's communication capabilities without fear. The former justice minister also questioned the fact Flemish judges more often order the use of bugging equipment compared with Wallonian judges. The tactics not only record conversations, but also register incoming and outgoing numbers and track the locations of mobile phones. Van Parys cited figures indicating that bugging operations cost taxpayers EUR 17.7 million in 2003. He said the breakdown in costs show justice officials use bugging tactics much more often than Wallonian officials. I.e. the Dutch/Germanic judges are a lot more on the ball than the French ones

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Europe

Guantanamo Belgians face charges, but free for now

2005-04-28

The two Belgians who were this week freed from US custody in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba have been charged in their home country with criminal activity, it emerged on Wednesday. I'm so happy that Jean-Pierre and Guy can stretch their legs a bit. It must have been dreadful! The two - Mesut Sen, a Belgian with Turkish roots from Brussels, and Moussa Zemmouri, a Moroccan who was granted Belgian nationality in 1996 - have been charged with belonging to a criminal organisation. "The investigation is continuing and they will be questioned again," Lieve Pellens, a spokeswoman for the Brussels prosecutors office told the AFP news agency. The prosecutor decided to bring the charges after questioning the two men on Tuesday. However the pair have been released while awaiting further questioning. Sen and Zemmouri were flown back to Belgium this week after spending more than three years at the controversial US detention camp in Cuba. Belgian Justice and Interior Ministers Laurette Onkelinx and Patrick Dewael negotiated their release with the American government. The repatriation came shortly after the US promised to release 38 detainees. Sen was originally arrested in Pakistan in December 2001 and Zemmouri was arrested in Kandahar in southern Afghanistan. Must've taken a wrong turn at Bastogne.

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