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Belgian prince, premier reach deal in row over DR Congo trip
Apr 8, 2011, 18:27 GMT
Brussels - Belgium's Prince Laurent and premier Yves Leterme have struck a deal in a bid to end their row over an unsanctioned trip Laurent took to the Democratic Republic of Congo last month, the Belga news agency reported Friday.
The agreement is meant to be a 'general pacifying solution,' the prince's attorney, Pierre Legros, was quoted as saying following an emergency meeting between Laurent and Leterme in Brussels.
It would dictate not only Laurent's involvement in foreign policy, but that of 'all members of the royal family,' he added. He declined to provide further details, as did Leterme's office.
Laurent, the youngest son of King Albert II, had visited DR Congo on a trip organized by the Global Renewable Energy and Conservation Trust, of which he is president.
Leterme had requested that the prince postpone the 'politically risky' trip - which reportedly included a meeting with DR Congo President Joseph Kabila - as it would come ahead of November presidential elections.
Government officials complained that the prince had not run the trip by the federal government or the palace and had thus not undergone the appropriate preparation.
The row over the trip had included threats to cut the prince's annual 312,000-euro (450,000-dollar) state appanage.
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