King Baudouin and Foreign Minister Renaat Van Elslande left on an official visit to Saudi Arabia today amid angry protests by Belgian journalists and the Jewish community against the government’s cooperation with the Saudian authorities in excluding reporters who are Jews from the press party accompanying the King.
The Belgian Press Association and the Journalists Union made their protests public today, A similar protest was registered by the Coordinating Council of Belgian Jewish Organizations, Belgian reporters had refused to comply with the demand by the Saudian Embassy here that newsmen planning to accompany the King state their race and religion on their visa applications, But the Belgian Foreign Ministry supplied the Saudians with the information and several Jewish reporters were barred from making the trip as a consequence.
King Baudouin and his advisors are expected to discuss the Middle East situation with the Saudians during their stay in Riyadh, Israeli Foreign Minister Yigal Allon is due to pay an official visit to Belgium a few days after the King’s return from Saudi Arabia.
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