A large group of Belgian Members of Parliament, artists, authors, leaders of social cultural groups and activists carried out a new “Citizens Inspection” of the Belgian - NATO base of Kleine Brogel on February 21. One hundred and sixty people gathered in the early afternoon rain at the Belgian-American gate of the NATO base and asked Commander Buyse for permission to inspect the nuclear vaults and the U.S. part of the base.  He even refused access to a delegation of Belgian Members of Parliament and NGO representatives.  Upon this refusal, a large number of people “cut their own door through the fence” and inspected the base.

By late afternoon over 120 people had been arrested inside the NATO base. All were admonished and released by evening.  Several people succeeded to inspect the base for hours without being arrested.

For several years, For Mother Earth and the War Resisters International have organized Citizens Inspections at the Kleine Brogel military base, collecting strong evidence that 10 B-61 nuclear bombs are deployed there.

“Both the USA and Belgium have signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty which prohibits the five declared nuclear weapon-states to deploy nuclear weapons in non-nuclear states like Belgium.” states Jef Sleeckx, a Social Democrat Deputy. “The USA is violating its Treaty obligations by storing its nuclear weapons on the Belgian territory, and the Belgian government is complying with this breach of the law by accepting the deployment of these weapons in Kleine Brogel. ...By participating in this action we want to force a debate in the parliament as well as a social debate on this important issue.”

Inspectors returned again to the air force base on April 24.  The activists, amongst them several members of Parliament, challenged a general prohibition of demonstrations declared by local authorities in Belgium since the start of the war in the Balkans. The protest coincided with the NATO Summit in Washington D.C., and the “strategic review” by NATO leaders.  By the end of the day, 51 inspectors had been thwarted and arrested.

Then on June 4, seven more inspectors entered the base, intending to paint STOP on the runway used by bombers over Yugoslavia.

For more information, contact For Mother Earth International, Lange
Steenstraat 16/d, 9000 Gent, Belgium; Ph +32-9-233 84 39, Fax +32-9-233 73 02
Email: international@motherearth.org http://www.motherearth.org