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The draft report was dated April 16 and came out as a result of the Alliance’s spring session in Bratislava.

The report, which was found online, stated: « Within the NATO context, the United States forward-deploys approximately 150 nuclear weapons, specifically B61 gravity bombs, to Europe for use on both US and Allied dual-capable aircraft. These bombs are stored at six US and European bases- Kleine Brogel in Belgium, Büchel in Germany, Aviano and Ghedi-Torre in Italy, Volkel in The Netherlands, and İncirlik in Turkey. »

Since then, a new version of the report came out and it had been modified. It states: « In the context of NATO, according to open sources, the United States deploys about 150 nuclear weapons, in particular B61 gravitational bombs, in Europe, on dual-capacity aircraft at a time. Allies often cited as operators of such planes are Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey. »

The Belgian government’s reaction has always remained the same on this matter: They have neither confirmed nor denied the presence of nuclear weapons in Belgium.

The post U.S nuclear weapons deployed in Belgium appeared first on Brussels Express.

The new NATO complex was inaugurated in May 2017, in the presence of Donald Trump. Before the tender was awarded, the budget had been set at € 1.2 billion, including € 820 million for construction work. The cost was then revised downwards to 1 billion euros before a return, during the construction phase, to 1.2 billion due to adverse weather conditions and technical changes.

« The contributions of NATO members are determined according to a specific distribution that takes into account their importance. For Belgium, this is 3.8%. » This means that the new headquarters cost the Belgian taxpayer 45.6 million euros, said Veli Yüksel.

But « being the seat of NATO also has many benefits for Belgium » and other countries are interested, he added.

The post New NATO headquarters had a cost of 1,2 billion Eur appeared first on Brussels Express.

Another warplane, a multi-million-dollar, U.S.-built plane, was also damaged and two mechanics reported temporary hearing loss caused by the blast, the Belgian armed forces reported. Both mechanics are receiving treatment.

“It could have been a disaster,” said Colonel Didier Polome. He had flown back from the Baltic sea where Belgian F-16s have been deployed on NATO’s border with Russia.

The commander of the Florennes airfield informed RTBF that an inquiry would look into the matter to check whether any deliberate wrongdoing had taken place.

The post A Belgian air force mechanic accidentally opens fire and destroys an F-16 appeared first on Brussels Express.

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Safety zones

The following safety zones will be applied from Tuesday 10 July to Friday 13 July 2018:

• Embassy of the USA and Royal Palace Zone: Place des Palais, Place du Trône, Rue Brederode, Boulevard du Régent between the Rue de la Loi and the Rue Lambermont, Rue Ducale
• European Institutions Zone
• The Hotel Zone (Boulevard de Waterloo 38 – 1000 Bruxelles), only the side of ‘The Hotel’ between the Rue de Namur and the Rue du Grand Cerf
• Egmont Palace Zone: Rue du Pépin, Rue des Petits Carmes, Rue aux Laines between the Petit Sablon and the Rue Joseph Dupont, Petit Sablon
• NATO Zone: Avenue Léopold III, Rue de Haren, Rue d’Evere, Avenue Jules Bordet, Rue de Strasbourg, Chaussée de Haecht, Rue Arthur Maes, Rue Sint-Stevens-Woluwe (Eurocontrol entrance)

The following safety zone will be applied on Wednesday 11 July 2018, from early afternoon till midnight:

• Cinquantenaire Park Zone: Avenue de la Joyeuse Entrée, Avenue de la Renaissance, Avenue des Nerviens, Avenue des Gaulois, Avenue de l’Yser

Who has access to the safety zones?

With a vehicle:

• the official delegations, with a pass from the organizer and/or the police services
• the police and security services
• the residents with a police permit

On foot:

• the residents on condition of showing their ID card
• the employees and traders on condition that they show their ID card and a permit (delivered by their employer)
• the visitors with a certificate delivered on the spot
• persons in possession of a permit and their ID card

The post NATO summit on 11 and 12 July – safety measures appeared first on Brussels Express.

On November 23, 2017, the Court of Appeal of Brussels decided to uphold the immunity of NATO in the case filed by a Libyan national, Khaled El Hamidi, who lost his entire family in a raid conducted by NATO warplanes against his home in Sorman Libya on June 20, 2011. As a result of this M. El Hamedi’s wife, M Safae Ahmed Azawi and his two little children Khaled’s and Alkhweldi, his little niece Salam, his Aunt Najia, his cousin Mohamed, his neighbor’s children and workers at his family’s home died a horrible death.

Khaled El Hamedi submitted the case to the Brussels Court demanding that the Court rules that NATO was to be held responsible and should compensate the family. NATO declined the jurisdiction of the Belgian Courts and invoked the immunity granted in the 1951 Ottawa agreement that established NATO.

« M. El Hamedi cannot agree with a situation where an organization like NATO that decides on life or death of so many around the world would benefit from complete impunity for its actions. The cry for accountability is in line with the recent case law both national and international. In particular, the immunity of NATO is in violation of the right of access to a Court, enshrined i.a. in the European Human Rights Convention and other international human rights instruments » explains Jan Fermon, lawyer of Khaled El Hamedi.

The Belgian Court of Cassation decided previously that immunity of international organizations can be overturned if the latter don’t set up an internal mechanism accessible for citizens who suffered harm because of the actions were undertaken by the organization. NATO does not have such mechanism in relation to its actions in Libya.

Unfortunately, the Brussels Court of Appeal decided on November 23, 2017, to uphold the immunity of NATO missing thus a historic opportunity to make a big leap forward in the enforcement of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.

The Brussels Court of Appeal decided that the immunity granted to NATO was an acceptable restriction of the right to access to a Court. The immunity, according to the Court of Appeal was proportionate to the aim pursued by it: allow an international organization to realize its goals. In order to take that decision, the Brussels Appeal Court relied on Dutch case law regarding immunity for UN blue helmets.

Such a comparison is however not correct. The United Nations Charter is the very root of contemporary international public law. The entire international legal system is built on the Charter and the UN is the organization that was created and joined by almost all states in the world to implement the Charter.  The Charter was the common expression of the peoples of the world who had fought the tyranny of fascism and the aggression wars committed by Nazi Germany, Italy, Japan and their allies. The UN charter is binding upon all countries in the world. NATO is a totally different kind of international organization. It is primarily a military alliance of a very limited number of privileged countries. It has been argued that such an alliance who’s basic role is to prepare for the use of force in international relations is illegal while in violation with the UN charter which bans the use of force in international relations unless in limited cases of self-defence and even then only until the Security Council has been able to take the necessary measures to restore peace. There is, therefore, no place in a decision of a court of law for any comparison between the Organisation of the United Nations, the guarantor of the legal international order and a limited military alliance which is most likely unlawful under international law.

The question is whether an organization that decides on the life or death of many around the globe will continue to be able to do so without any form of accountability and benefiting from total impunity or if, on the contrary, it will be held accountable for its actions. Today’s state of affairs is dangerous while it creates a situation in which there is no incentive at all for NATO to respect international law.

The post Khaled El Hamedi will not stop his fight against NATO appeared first on Brussels Express.