Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09BRUSSELS988
2009-07-17 15:55:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Brussels
Cable title:
BELGIUM: NEW FOREIGN MINISTER YVES LETERME
how-toVZCZCXRO1251 RR RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHNP RUEHROV RUEHSL RUEHSR DE RUEHBS #0988 1981555 ZNY CCCCC ZZH R 171555Z JUL 09 ZDK FM AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9221 INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE RHEFDHN/DIA DH WASHINGTON DC RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
C O N F I D E N T I A L BRUSSELS 000988
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EUR/WE:BMARCUS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/17/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR BE
SUBJECT: BELGIUM: NEW FOREIGN MINISTER YVES LETERME
Classified By: Acting Political Economic Counselor Robert Kiene, reason
s 1.4(b) and (d).
C O N F I D E N T I A L BRUSSELS 000988
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EUR/WE:BMARCUS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/17/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR BE
SUBJECT: BELGIUM: NEW FOREIGN MINISTER YVES LETERME
Classified By: Acting Political Economic Counselor Robert Kiene, reason
s 1.4(b) and (d).
1. (SBU) Former Prime Minister Yves Leterme was sworn in on
July 16 as Belgium's new Foreign Minister, replacing Karel De
Gucht who has moved to the European Commission as
Commissioner for Development Assistance. Leterme served as
Prime Minister from March 20 to December 22, 2008.
Controversy over his role and that of his staff in handling
the failed nationalization of the financial-services company
Fortis forced Leterme to resign. Before serving as PM, he
was the Minister-President of the Flemish Government and
Flemish Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries. He has served
as a federal senator since resigning as PM.
--------------
POLITICAL HISTORY AND EXPERIENCE
--------------
2. (U) Before entering national politics, Leterme served as
an auditor at the Belgian Court of Audit. His first
political roles were Deputy National Secretary and later
$ecretary of the Christian People's Party (CVP),now known as
the Christian Democratic Party (CD&V); he then resigned to
become an EU civil servant. He has been a member of the city
council of his hometown, Ieper, since 1995 and served as one
of its Deputy Mayors from 1995 to 2001. Leterme was elected
to the Belgian House of Representatives in 1997, 1999, and
2003. After the defeat of the CD&V in the general elections
of 2003, Leterme succeeded Stefaan De Clerck as CD&V party
chairman. He resigned in 2004 to accept the role of
Minister-President of the Flemish government. Heading the
CD&V - N-VA ticket in the 2007 federal elections, Leterme
received almost 800,000 personal preference votes, a sign of
his great popularity in Flanders. In the campaign leading up
to the elections, Leterme promised he would stage a sweeping
institutional reform devolving additional competencies to the
Flemish regional government if elected. This pledge to
Flanders and a number of unfortunate remarks regarding the
Francophone community and Belgian national symbols made him
extremely unpopular in the Francophone part of Belgium.
Leterme failed to make any headway in institutional
negotiations. Despite this setback, he managed to form a
five-party coalition government of Christian-Democrats,
Liberals, and Francophone Socialists in March 2008. As
linguistic tension persisted, Leterme tendered his
resignation in July 2008. The King refused the resignation
and appointed mediators to find a solution to the
institutional question, but this attempt to address
institutional issues failed as well. The disappointed NV-A
broke its alliance with CD&V and joined the opposition. The
King asked Leterme to remain as PM. Ultimately, in the fall
of 2008, members of Leterme's government were accused of
attempting to influence a judge's decision in a case brought
by shareholders of Fortis Bank, attempting to block the
government's planned distress sale of the bank to BNP
Paribas. On December 22, 2008, Leterme and his entire
cabinet tendered their resignations. Leterme then took up a
seat in the Senate. Despite suspicions of his involvement,
Leterme was cleared of any wrongdoing by a parliamentary
commission looking into the affair.
-------------- sing a forrience as PM; Leterme attended both EU and NQTO Summits,
and made trips to important BelgiQn foreign policy priority
nations such as Afghanistan and the DRC. This experience
will elp during Belgium's EU Presidency in the latte half
of 2010. At the same time, a very senir and influential
diplomat, Franciskus Van Da%le, formerly Belgium's permanent
representative to NATO, has been appointed Leterme's chiefof
staff. Many expect Van Daele to play an iQportant role in
formulating Belgium's foreign policy as he leads the less
diplomatically experienced Leterme's cabinet. In any event,
post considers Leterme a good partner for the United States,
and we expect him to continue many of his predecessor's
policies.
BUSH
.
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EUR/WE:BMARCUS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/17/2019
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR BE
SUBJECT: BELGIUM: NEW FOREIGN MINISTER YVES LETERME
Classified By: Acting Political Economic Counselor Robert Kiene, reason
s 1.4(b) and (d).
1. (SBU) Former Prime Minister Yves Leterme was sworn in on
July 16 as Belgium's new Foreign Minister, replacing Karel De
Gucht who has moved to the European Commission as
Commissioner for Development Assistance. Leterme served as
Prime Minister from March 20 to December 22, 2008.
Controversy over his role and that of his staff in handling
the failed nationalization of the financial-services company
Fortis forced Leterme to resign. Before serving as PM, he
was the Minister-President of the Flemish Government and
Flemish Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries. He has served
as a federal senator since resigning as PM.
--------------
POLITICAL HISTORY AND EXPERIENCE
--------------
2. (U) Before entering national politics, Leterme served as
an auditor at the Belgian Court of Audit. His first
political roles were Deputy National Secretary and later
$ecretary of the Christian People's Party (CVP),now known as
the Christian Democratic Party (CD&V); he then resigned to
become an EU civil servant. He has been a member of the city
council of his hometown, Ieper, since 1995 and served as one
of its Deputy Mayors from 1995 to 2001. Leterme was elected
to the Belgian House of Representatives in 1997, 1999, and
2003. After the defeat of the CD&V in the general elections
of 2003, Leterme succeeded Stefaan De Clerck as CD&V party
chairman. He resigned in 2004 to accept the role of
Minister-President of the Flemish government. Heading the
CD&V - N-VA ticket in the 2007 federal elections, Leterme
received almost 800,000 personal preference votes, a sign of
his great popularity in Flanders. In the campaign leading up
to the elections, Leterme promised he would stage a sweeping
institutional reform devolving additional competencies to the
Flemish regional government if elected. This pledge to
Flanders and a number of unfortunate remarks regarding the
Francophone community and Belgian national symbols made him
extremely unpopular in the Francophone part of Belgium.
Leterme failed to make any headway in institutional
negotiations. Despite this setback, he managed to form a
five-party coalition government of Christian-Democrats,
Liberals, and Francophone Socialists in March 2008. As
linguistic tension persisted, Leterme tendered his
resignation in July 2008. The King refused the resignation
and appointed mediators to find a solution to the
institutional question, but this attempt to address
institutional issues failed as well. The disappointed NV-A
broke its alliance with CD&V and joined the opposition. The
King asked Leterme to remain as PM. Ultimately, in the fall
of 2008, members of Leterme's government were accused of
attempting to influence a judge's decision in a case brought
by shareholders of Fortis Bank, attempting to block the
government's planned distress sale of the bank to BNP
Paribas. On December 22, 2008, Leterme and his entire
cabinet tendered their resignations. Leterme then took up a
seat in the Senate. Despite suspicions of his involvement,
Leterme was cleared of any wrongdoing by a parliamentary
commission looking into the affair.
-------------- sing a forrience as PM; Leterme attended both EU and NQTO Summits,
and made trips to important BelgiQn foreign policy priority
nations such as Afghanistan and the DRC. This experience
will elp during Belgium's EU Presidency in the latte half
of 2010. At the same time, a very senir and influential
diplomat, Franciskus Van Da%le, formerly Belgium's permanent
representative to NATO, has been appointed Leterme's chiefof
staff. Many expect Van Daele to play an iQportant role in
formulating Belgium's foreign policy as he leads the less
diplomatically experienced Leterme's cabinet. In any event,
post considers Leterme a good partner for the United States,
and we expect him to continue many of his predecessor's
policies.
BUSH
.