BELGIAN PRIME MINISTER DEFENDS AUSTERITY PROGRAM
Belgian Prime Minister Wilfried
Martens said government austerity programs adopted in the last
six years had resolved some of the economy's urgent problems,
but that unemployment remained a major obstacle.
    Martens told Belgian television the austerity measures had
brought the country's balance of payments from deficit to
surplus, helped reduce inflation and boosted economic growth.
 REUTER
