Belgian outrage at plan for 'foreign legion'

Belgium's Defence Minister, confronted by a recruitment problem, provoked a storm by suggesting foreigners should make up the shortfall. The proposal by André Flahaut in a newspaper interview also sparked a new debate about that most divisive of domestic issues: national identity.

Belgium's Defence Minister, confronted by a recruitment problem, provoked a storm by suggesting foreigners should make up the shortfall. The proposal by André Flahaut in a newspaper interview also sparked a new debate about that most divisive of domestic issues: national identity.

Mr Flahaut said he wanted European Union and eventually non-European foreigners to relieve the shortage within the country's 45,000-strong army, air force and navy. Yesterday officials said the idea was at a "brainstorming" stage and it was unclear whether the ministry of defence wanted to form a foreign legion or drop the nationality requirement for all military recruitment.

The initiative was attacked as unconstitutional by the Flemish Liberal Party, whose leader, Guy Verhofstadt, heads Belgium's coalition government. The party's spokesman said military secrecy could not be guaranteed if foreigners were employed.

Unbowed, Mr Flahaut, a member of the French-speaking Socialist Party, briefed journalists on an alternative reform during a ministerial visit to Brazil. This time he proposed scrapping the quota system for the country's two main linguistic blocs. By law 60 per cent of military jobs are reserved for Dutch-speakers against 40 per cent of Francophones, representing the national population breakdown.

This stipulation has proved hard to meet and officers want to axe a regulation which, according to some experts, is widely flouted.

With Dutch-speaking Flanders more prosperous than Francophone Wallonia, recruitment problems have been exacerbated in the north of Belgium. Around 50 per cent of those joining the military are thought to come from French- speaking areas, where unemployment is higher.

Belgium's military has long had recruitment and retention problems. Officials say there is no imminent crisis but that, without better pay and conditions, the situation will worsen.