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Posted on 04/11/2003 10:06:57 AM PDT by knighthawk
BRUSSELS, Belgium - The U.S. Embassy denied a Friday newspaper report suggesting Belgium's strong opposition to the war in Iraq could lead to the moving of NATO headquarters out of Brussels.
The embassy said the report in the business daily De Financieel-Economische Tijd "misrepresented" comments made by U.S. Ambassador to Belgium Stephen F. Brauer.
"The embassy wishes to correct immediately reports today ... raising questions about the future location of NATO headquarters," the embassy statement said.
It added that Brauer "reiterated that all U.S. policies regarding NATO, its headquarters and facilities in Belgium, remain unchanged."
The newspaper quoted Brauer as saying, "When the future seat of NATO is discussed again, the Belgian attitude on Iraq will certainly be raised."
The paper topped its front page with the headline "US ambassador fears for NATO seat in Belgium."
The embassy said Brauer would contact Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt to clarify the U.S. position, adding "the front page article misrepresented the ambassador's comments."
In January, the United States and the other 18 NATO allies approved plans to build new headquarters across the street from the current Brussels site for an estimated $324 million.
Since then, Belgium has lined up with France and Germany to take a strong anti-war line concerning Iraq.
Also, seven Iraqis lodged a legal complaint last month against Secretary of State Colin Powell, Vice President Dick Cheney and former President George H.W. Bush. They claimed U.S. action during the 1991 Gulf War violated a unique Belgian law allowing prosecution of war crimes around the world.
Powell said he was worried about the complaint's impact on his own travel to Belgium for NATO meetings.
"It affects the ability of people to travel in Belgium without being subject to this kind of threat. For a place that is an international center they should be a little bit concerned about this," Powell said in Washington.
The Belgian parliament last week voted to change that law to prevent such cases.
Any decision to move NATO's headquarters would need the unanimous agreement of all the allies. NATO officials said there had been no debate within the alliance about moving the headquarters.
If people want on or off this list, please let me know.
Any way of findoung out what % of the $324 mill for the new HQ we're supposed to pay....?
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