Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib faced calls to step down Wednesday as she was quizzed by lawmakers on her decision to grant visas to Iranian and Russian officials.
(Bloomberg) — Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib faced calls to step down Wednesday as she was quizzed by lawmakers on her decision to grant visas to Iranian and Russian officials.
The questioning, which also targeted Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, focused mainly on visas provided to 14 Iranian officials, including Tehran Mayor Alireza Zakani, to attend the Brussels Urban Summit last week. Brussels regional government’s State Secretary Pascal Smet, whose office invited and paid for the officials to attend, has already resigned over the episode.
Despite opposition to the Iranian visit within the federal government, Lahbib approved the visas following a call with Smet, L’Echo reported on Tuesday. De Croo on June 19 threw his support behind Lahbib saying it was the Brussels government that was responsible for inviting the officials, Belga news agency reported.
The Socialist Party accused Lahbib of changing her narrative as the story unfolded and omitting details in previous dealings on the matter with parliament, demanding an explanation of the precise reasoning for issuing the visas.
De Croo said it was important to consider the time line and the broader context around granting the visas, which happened weeks after the release of Olivier Vandecasteele, a Belgian NGO worker, from an Iranian jail, as well as the freeing of several other Europeans. However, he said there was no direct link between the release and participation in the Brussels Urban Summit.
Lahbib defended her visa decision, saying she doesn’t maintain a policy of closing the country’s doors.
Born in Belgium to Algerian parents, Lahbib, 53, was appointed foreign minister in July. Last year, the minister cut a lock of her hair in parliament in solidarity with widespread protests against Iran’s Islamist leadership after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody.
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