War in Libya makes kingdom work

Published on 22 March 2011 at 11:23

Cover

"The Belgians fighting alongside [the allies]," headlines De Standaard. The Brussels daily reports that four Belgian F-16s were sent to Libya on March 21, just hours before the National Assembly approved participation of the kingdom in military operations by 125 votes out of 126. A “surreal" decision, writes the paper, since the country has been without a government for more than 280 days and is being run in the meanwhile by a "business as usual” government, which should not be taking such decisions. "The Libyan affair reveals a new mechanism," argues De Standaard, which regrets that it can not be used to resolve domestic issues: "Parliament came up with a common vision on Libya, but has failed to find one for Belgium."

Tags

Was this article useful? If so we are delighted!

It is freely available because we believe that the right to free and independent information is essential for democracy. But this right is not guaranteed forever, and independence comes at a cost. We need your support in order to continue publishing independent, multilingual news for all Europeans.

Discover our subscription offers and their exclusive benefits and become a member of our community now!

Are you a news organisation, a business, an association or a foundation? Check out our bespoke editorial and translation services.

Support independent European journalism

European democracy needs independent media. Join our community!

On the same topic