The Federal Government has still not reached an agreement on deploying troops on the streets of Brussels and Antwerp.
The initiative came as part of a new "major cities plan", a reworking of the decade-old "canal plan". Interior Minister Bernard Quintin (MR)
Quintin (MR) said the priorities have shifted since the days when counterterrorism was the central focus.
"The canal plan was good, but it was ten years old and needed updating. Its main entry point was counterterrorism, which no longer carries the same weight as at the time. In terms of priorities, the fight against organised crime linked to drug trafficking has now come first," the minister explained.
Belgium's biggest urban centres: Brussels, Liège, Charleroi, Mons and Ghent, are, according to Quintin, "on a slippery slope" when it comes to public safety.
However, Defence Minister Theo Francken said on Wednesday that the issue will return to the government on Friday, but that "there is still no agreement".
The MR party called in August for mixed military and police patrols in drug-affected areas.
Francken has not opposed the idea, but has previously highlighted practical difficulties and noted that the mission would differ from troop deployments during the terror threat. Military sources have shown little enthusiasm.
According to several sources, the file is blocked by a proposal from Justice Minister Annelies Verlinden to ease prison overcrowding by allowing certain convicted offenders to be released one year before the end of their sentence, instead of six months, a measure opposed by parties on the right of the Arizona coalition.
