Prime Minister Alexander De Croo (Open VLD) and Foreign Affairs Minister Hadja Lahbib (MR) on Wednesday afternoon faced a parliamentary hearing to defend their decision to grant visas to an Iranian delegation for the Brussels Urban Summit.
Hotly anticipated, De Croo and Lahbib argued that they had no option but to approve the Iranian attendance in order to avoid a "diplomatic incident." Both blamed Brussels Secretary of State Pascal Smet (who resigned on Sunday) for the initial invitation.
De Croo, who at first had not been due to attend the hearing, explained that Smet had originally invited the Iranian delegation in March before seeking Lahbib’s approval in June. The request from Smet to Lahbib came just days after Belgian aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele was liberated from an Iranian prison, the PM stated.
De Croo went on to explain that Belgium "wanted and wants to continue talks to free the Europeans jailed in Iran." In this context, he said that progress would have been greatly hindered if the visas weren't granted. "It was a matter of visas versus human lives", the PM argued.
Regarding his prior silence on the scandal, De Croo said that he hoped not to exacerbate the situation for innocent people detained in Iran.
Lahbib points finger at Smet
When it was Lahbib's turn for questioning, she confirmed that Smet sought her approval for the visas in order that the controversial mayor of Tehran Alireza Zakani could attend. Zakani is the Vice-President of the Metropolis organisation – one of the presiding bodies of the urban summit.
Lahbib revealed that the seven visas initially requested by the Iranian delegation subsequently rose to 14.
Her argument then turned "realpolitik" as the minister asserted that Belgium had to keep channels of communication open even with unsavoury foreign powers. She stressed that her office had carried out the necessary due diligence checks and even took precautionary measures to ensure that no member of the delegation posed a security risk.
But her defence was torn apart by the federal MPs present, not only those in opposition parties but also from Lahbib's coalition partners.
Belgian-Iranian Darya Saifi (N-VA) delivered the most excoriating criticism, saying that she had "never felt less safe in Belgium." Earlier in the day, she said that members of the Iranian delegation had taken videos of parliamentarians while visiting the capital.
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Saifi gave details about how she had been arrested 20 years ago by the mayor Zakani, known in Iran as the "butcher of Tehran". She told the committee how "They came and took me from my parents’ house."
Her party has already stated that they will demand that Lahbib resign from her position, having accused the minister of lying to parliament.
Vooruit MP Melissa Depraetere was unsympathetic towards Lahbib, saying her defence was "vague" but clear enough to discern her responsibility for the visas: "You were the one that took the decision yet you're shying from your responsibilities."
The French-speaking socialist Malik Ben Achour said that Lahbib and De Croo had "made Brussels a playground for torturers."
What next?
If their words are anything to go by, the left-leaning parties in government may soon demand Lahbib resign.
This could have a domino effect in the Federal Government.
Lahbib's party MR has insisted that the Foreign Affairs Minister keep her post and has even threatened to pull their support for the current government if she is forced out. Were they to do so this would paralyse the government, denying it of a majority in parliament.
