Word: belgiums
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...supporting, probably came through Liberia, but that the President claimed to have had "no control" over the flow of illegal gems. Smillie said Taylor also told him that that "Liberia's name was misused" by diamond-smugglers. In the late 1990s, large numbers of diamonds sold in Antwerp, Belgium, were certified as having come from Liberia when in reality, testified Smillie, there's no way Liberia could have produced so many. Prosecutors claim that the revenue from those diamonds was used to purchase weapons. In support of that, The Hague judges were shown photos of an airplane filled with crates...
...moment, at least, there is respite in Belgium's governmental crisis. The interim cabinet means that the clock stopped on 194 days without a new Belgian government, only a couple of weeks short of the European record of 208, set by the Netherlands in 1977. But there won't be any time for a honeymoon period: no sooner had the coalition formed than 14 people were arrested after authorities foiled a plot to free an al-Qaeda suspect arrested in September 2001. "They were planning to use weapons and explosives to free him ... These means could be employed for another...
...price hikes. Last week, the Belgian central bank said inflation would speed up next year to its highest rates of the decade, while economic growth will slow more than previously projected. On top of that, the European Commission has also warned that the political paralysis is beginning to affect Belgium's economy...
...government retains the posts of Interior Minister Patrick Dewael, Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht, and Finance Minister Didier Reynders. Francophone liberal Reynders, one of two deputy Prime Ministers, claimed that the formation of a government meant "the crisis is over for Belgium." However, questions still surround the managerial ability of Leterme: after all, the Flemish firebrand failed to form a government despite six months of trying. By contrast, Verhofstadt took less than two weeks to secure his unity coalition...
...departing prime minister will not himself be part of the process. If these talks fail, there is the chance that the interim government could stay on until the regional elections in 2009, which might then double up with another federal poll. But such chatter underlines the fragile nature of Belgium, and its perennial state of compromise. Although there is relief that Belgium finally has a government, there is a niggling fear that this particular Christmas present will not keep the country's factions satisfied for long...