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“I am disappointed, but we will continue to fight”, says Theo Francken

by editor
“I am disappointed, but we will continue to fight: we are not giving up”, Theo Francken (N-VA) said during a speech in Lubbeck on Sunday.
He was speaking to a packed room about the UN pact on migration, the reason the N-VA ministers in the federal government quit. 

Theo Francken said the N-VA bureau unanimously agreed on the position they would adopt on Saturday. “It’s regrettable that that the CD&V and Open Vld have done everything they can to push us out of the government”, he added. He again claimed that Belgium would be better off not signing the migration pact. The N-VA said not signing it would damage Belgium’s image less than low investment in defence or high debt. 

As it is, even with an interpretative declaration, Theo Francken says the UN pact is not acceptable for nationalist Flemish. He also says that interpretative declarations are almost never used. This is the case of the Declaration for Children’s Rights, which “seems to have disappeared without a trace”, according to Mr Francken. The former State Secretary says the convention, which Belgium has adopted, is a source of problems, particularly when families are in a detention centre awaiting deportation. 

“I will be an MP again the day after tomorrow. I will take on these duties with pride, good knowledge of the issues and total commitment”, says Theo Francken. His party will confirm the position it will adopt at a federal level over the next few days.

Andy Sanchez

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