Belgium holds off on changing rights law BRUSSELS:

Belgium decided on Wednesday to postpone changing a
controversial law which allows its courts to prosecute
foreign officials for human-rights abuses committed
abroad, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said. The law
became a diplomatic embarrassment for Belgium, which
holds the rotating presidency of the European Union,
after a group of Palestinians and Lebanese used it to
file a legal complaint against Israeli Prime Minister
Ariel Sharon.
"There was a core Cabinet meeting this morning where
this law was discussed and (Foreign Minister) Louis
Michel proposed postponing the amendment until after
the (EU) presidency," Foreign Ministry spokesman Koen
Vervaeke told Reuters. The Palestinian and Lebanese
group filed their complaint last month in a Brussels
court against Sharon for his alleged involvement in
1982 massacres at Palestinian refugee camps in
Lebanon. Critics of the law fear it will overburden
Belgium's justice system and jeopardize the country's
diplomatic position, especially during its six-month
EU presidency. ­ Reuters