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Contacted by IPS, a Dexia spokeswoman would not answer questions about the bank's policies in East Jerusalem. The spokeswoman would only say that Dexia had acquired the Israeli financial institution Otzar Hashilton Hamekomi in 2001 and subsequently renamed it Dexia Israel. \"This bank operates on the entire Israeli territory and finances Jewish and Arab municipalities indiscriminately,\" the spokeswoman said. In a message to Dexia shareholders last year, [Jean-Luc Dehaene] tried to downplay the significance of the bank's lending in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, indicating that the Middle East was not a priority region. \"Don't be surprised if at one point Dexia Group will sell Dexia Israel,\" he said. \"Israel is not really the core market for Dexia,\" said [Intal]'s [Mario Franssen]. \"But Dexia Israel has never been mentioned (in the restructuring plan), probably because Dexia is making money there. One way or another, it appears to be profiting from the occupation.\"

[Jean-Luc Dehaene], who is also a member of the European Parliament, did not respond to IPS requests for a comment. But when addressing Dexia's annual general meeting (AGM) for this year May 12, Dehaene said he was a \"little bit surprised\" by the high level of interest in Dexia Israel's activities among the bank's shareholders. A lively discussion ensued, in which one shareholder accused the bank of being an \"accomplice in the murder\" of Palestinian civilians. Dehaene was also criticized by Palestinian solidarity activists for remarks he made about Dexia's work in Jerusalem. After he was asked if the bank was financing Israeli settlement activities in East Jerusalem, Dehaene conferred with Pierre Mariani, Dexia's chief executive. \"East Jerusalem doesn't exist, apparently,\" Dehaene said, without elaborating. [Mario Franssen] took issue, too, with the assurances that Dexia is no longer lending to the settlements. \"There is a difference between what Jean-Luc Dehaene and Dexia Bank say and what is happening on the ground,\" he said. \"It has now been proven that there is a difference. The Dexia Group controls at least two-thirds of Dexia Israel. If they want, they can impose (their will on Dexia Israel). But clearly, they don't want to.\"

Mr. Dehaene, a member of the Flemish Christian Democratic Party, became prime minister in March 1992 after leaders of the country's major political factions spent 103 tense days trying to form a working government.

Let alone [Jean-Luc Dehaene]'s having already worked out \"a definite course,\" as De Morgen wrote yesterday. The newspaper \"revealed\" that Dehaene's entourage has drawn up a memo to flesh out Article 35 of the Constitution. According to that article, all powers lie with the federal states, unless they have been explicitly allocated to the federal level, but that list of federal powers has never been drawn up. That is precisely what Dehaene would like to have the next government do. De Morgen met with a blunt denial. Dehaene let it be known through his spokesperson that he has \"never seen\" the memo concerned. According to him, the proposal does not hold water, because Article 35 of the Constitution has not been declared open to revision. \"For that matter, Dehaene has said repeatedly in the past that the article is inoperative,\" it is said.

All these elements influenced [Jean-Luc Dehaene]'s decision. He conducted talks with party Chairman Stefaan De Clerck and CD&V protagonist Herman Van Rompuy. Moreover, it was to be expected that some people within the CD&V would blame it on Dehaene if the VLD [Flemish Liberal Democrats] were to beat the CD&V in the election...

[Jean-Luc Dehaene], 73, had been suffering from cancer but died following a fall in France.

Paris, 21st October: Minister Delegate for European Affairs Pierre Moscovici, addressing the deputies of the Delegation for European Union on Wednesday [20th October], expressed \"the serious reservations\" he feels about the \"wise men's\" report on European reforms, we have learnt from a government source. The three European \"wise men\" responsible for presenting recommendations for the reform of the European institutions, former Belgian Prime Minister Jean-Luc Dehaene, former German President Richard von Weizsacker and former British Trade Secretary Lord David Simon, according to Mr Dehaene, have been working on \"comprehensive reform\" by means of a reorganization of the EU treaties in such a way as to facilitate their amendment.