Belgium bears responsibility for Congo

The Democratic Republic of Congo celebrates fifty years of independence on Wednesday and is expecting Belgian King Albert II in Kinshasa to mark the event. The king has said he will not deliver a public speech. The daily Le Soir supports this decision and recalls the importance of relations between the two countries: "Everything is right, rational, politically correct and without danger. But this does not correspond with popular feeling. Even if they wish to close this chapter, the Belgians still assign special significance to Congo. They are being pursued by a historic responsibility even if they do not wish to assume it. ... In other words, if the king makes the journey to the Congolese, he should know that they will expect something from him. If not a public speech, at least alongside all the radiance and splendour an eye for their real situation, human contact, a gesture that is worthy of the countless expressions of solidarity."

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