Belgium makes vow of secrecy

BRUSSELS (AP) - Belgium said yesterday it will reverse efforts for more openness at European Community meetings and revert to more secrecy and less television coverage when it takes the presidency on 1 July.

The Belgian Prime Minister, Jean-Luc Dehaene, said the EC could not function properly if the electorate had access to every discussion.

Under the current Danish presidency, large portions of some EC meetings have been televised to improve democratic 'transparency', but the sessions have come under fire from some member states, including France and Luxembourg, for being long-winded and counter-productive.