2023-06-26 14:16:00
Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib apologized on Monday for some of her statements in the matter of the visit of an Iranian delegation to Brussels, led by the mayor of Tehran. “I regret that some may have felt intimidated or endangered by the presence of the Iranian delegation. Political decisions must take into account the reality on the ground. I apologize if I didn’t take that into account enough in my statements,” she said. Follow his hearing before the House Foreign Relations Committee live.
Drafting 26-06-23, 16:16 Last update: 18:32 Source: Le Soir, La Libre, Belga
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18:41
Samuel Cogolati, Ecolo deputy, castigated certain contradictions of the minister.
18:22
“You will finally take responsibility and step down,” said N-VA MP Darya Safai, calling her policy “lax, wrong and unacceptable”.
18:09
MPs take the floor
Peter De Roover (N-VA) is surprised by one thing: the name of Alexander De Croo was not mentioned by Hadja Lahbib during his speech.
“I haven’t heard any excuses,” he added. “I expected an apology, but you only apologized for misunderstandings.”
18:04
Lahbib concluded
“There was certainly a way to do better and I am sincerely sorry. But the situation is very complex. I never thought in terms of political calculation, but in terms of diplomatic consequences or consequences on human lives. I don’t “Perhaps shouldn’t have reacted so vehemently. It was difficult for me to remain unmoved when my moral integrity was under attack”
18:00
“A categorical visa ban might damage our diplomatic relations with Iran”
17:52
The Minister recognizes that better consultation and communication between federal and federated entities will be necessary in the future.
17:51
Regarding relations with Iran in the future
“This question will always be delicate. My vision is that we must continue to talk with Iran. It is thanks to this that we have been able to free Europeans detained when they were innocent.”
17:48
“I understand that some people felt intimidated. Generally speaking, if there are indications of threats once morest opponents of the Iranian regime, our security services deal with it. (…) Security had been informed of the arrival of the entire delegation, and had made no objection”.
17:41
After this broad reminder of the facts, Hadja Lahbib will answer questions.
17:35
“The invitations were not timely”
“It was not appropriate to send out invitations, and I stand by that,” said Labib, once more referring to former Brussels State Secretary Pascal Smet (Vooruit) who had sent the invitations to the Iranian delegation.
17:32
If she apologized on the form, Hadja Lahbib maintains the course on the bottom by carrying out the chronology of the facts. Stressing that there was no concrete threat to the country’s security, the minister reviewed the procedure behind the controversial visas of the 14 Iranians.
17:18
“I have to admit we might have handled things differently”
Hadja Lahbib would like to apologize if she did not include in her statements “the experience of people who have found refuge in Belgium. I regret that things happened in this way.”
“I have to make decisions that have an impact on our citizens. I regret that some may have felt in danger in the face of the Iranian delegation.”
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“Now let’s go back to the heated exchanges of last Wednesday. The tone of these were filled with emotion but the lives at stake and the geopolitical context made communication difficult and delicate. I have since thought a lot, I have been moved, I should have expressed myself differently. I heard everyone’s concerns.”
“I concede that I should have had a communication on the context from June 15. I never wanted to knowingly hide information from you. But when the geopolitical context is tense, it is in order to communicate with precautions. ”
16:31
“It’s just amazing”
Peter De Roover (N-VA) pointed out last week that “the issuance of visas on June 8 was the consequence of OCAM’s opinion”. However, “we only received the opinion of OCAM on June 9”. A suspicion of a lie that tends to be invalidated. Indeed, the opinion requested on June 9 was intended to assess the security around the mayor of Tehran and did not concern a risk for the Belgian population or the Iranian opponents, report our colleagues from Le Soir.
“Ocam’s opinion is produced at the request of the Iranian embassy, which fears for the safety of the mayor of Tehran. It’s just incredible”, reacted Georges Dallemand (Les Engagés). “It was always presented as an opinion requested by Foreign Affairs to know the threat hanging over the population. Ocam was never asked for advice on the 13 other Iranians. However, potential risks existed, some are engaged in surveillance and espionage activities of Iranian opponents in Brussels.”
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Same story on the side of Théo Francken (N-VA): “Incredible, Hadja Lahbib really has no shame,” he tweeted. “This Ocam opinion only related to the question of whether the butcher of Tehran (the mayor of Tehran, editor’s note) himself would be safe in Belgium. It was therefore not at all an analysis threat that emanated from him and his delegation of executioners.”
“She has already lied regarding the date of the Ocam opinion (received following the visa was issued) but now also regarding the content. Unacceptable. Resignation.”
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16:00
“The most important thing is to restore confidence”
Traveling to Luxembourg on Monday morning to discuss the situation in Russia with her European counterparts, Hadja Lahbib did not seem concerned regarding her expected presence in the Chamber.
“What is much more important than apologies is that we understand each other and that I give the necessary explanations,” she told our VRT colleagues. “The file is very complex. There are many parameters at stake. I will try to provide clarity and all the answers. The most important thing is to restore confidence”.
To the question: “will you still be a minister tonight?”, Hadja Lahbib preferred not to answer.
15:56
Answers around 5 p.m.
Hadja Lahbib is expected this Monday around 5 p.m. in the External Relations Committee to answer for the third time questions from MEPs on the visit of an Iranian delegation to Brussels from June 12 to 15 on the occasion of Urban Summit, a forum world of big city mayors. Her fate does not seem sealed in advance, but she will have to “convince”. The minister “seems to have understood what is expected”, confides an anonymous source to our colleagues from Belga.
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Like the one addressed by Paul Magnette, the message of the socialists and ecologists is very clear, excuses will not be sufficient. “If faults have been committed, they must be clearly identified. We need to know what the minister will do to avoid this in the future. (…) It is an open secret that Madame Lahbib acted on the orders of Georges-Louis Bouchez”, commented the president of the PS to the VRT. Not the only stroke of pressure recorded since Friday.
However, the weekend was not so bad for the Minister of Foreign Affairs. A sensitive point in the case, the timing of the opinion issued by OCAM has been clarified and this new element pleads rather in favor of the defense put forward by Hadja Lahbib.
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Peter De Roover (N-VA) pointed out last week that “the issuance of visas on June 8 was the consequence of OCAM’s opinion”. However, “we only received the opinion of OCAM on June 9”. A suspicion of a lie that tends to be invalidated. Indeed, the opinion requested on June 9 was intended to assess the security around the mayor of Tehran and did not concern a risk for the Belgian population or the Iranian opponents, report our colleagues from Le Soir.
The events of the weekend in Russia also allowed Hadja Lahbib to reposition herself at the heart of the action, a “significantly more rewarding role”, analyzes La Libre. Theo Francken also regretted on the airwaves of VTM, an “attempt to distract”. “You would have to explain to me why the CNS is meeting today. While there is no threat in Belgium.”
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But, it is clear, Hadja Lahbib is not out of the woods. Many other gray areas remain to be clarified and the exchanges promise to be tense. Last Wednesday, his attitude, sometimes considered arrogant, and the tone used displeased many parliamentarians. Another face should be displayed this followingnoon, but a flat apology seems unlikely. Georges-Louis Bouchez has constantly hammered it, Hadja Lahbib “has not committed any fault and there is therefore no reason to resign.”
A step taken by Pascal Smet (Vooruit), on June 18th. The Brussels State Secretary, who organized the forum, left his post. He had expressed his bitterness towards the “federal” and denounced the way he had been “thrown under the bus”.
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