Back in Belgium from conferences in Washington, U.S. Ambassador Robert Murphy laid aside the finesse and indirection of diplomatic language, did some plain talking in public last week: "There was quite frankly doubt [in Washington] that Belgium is making a contribution to Atlantic defense proportionate to its wealth and resources. While some countries are devoting percentages of their gross national product up to 19% for defense purposes, Belgium is only spending about 5%." Murphy added that he had also found "curiosity" in Washington over Belgian trade with Soviet-bloc nations.
The U.S. diplomat spoke before the Flemish Economic Association: in...
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