Brussels, 2 October 2000

Dear colleague,

I am writing to inform you of the latest developments in the Nihoul-Dutroux affair, and also of an important meeting which will be held in the near future.

In particular, I enclose a letter addressed to you by police detectives De Baets et Bille. When they were cleared of all charges against them, both criminal and administrative, the overwhelming majority of the "major" Belgian media - who had not hesitated to drag them through the mud on the front pages - did not hold it to be their duty to inform their readers, listeners or viewers of the fact.

You will also find an in-depth report by Mme Françoise Van de Moortel, a journalist and a member of the Comités blancs, on the malfunctioning of the judicial system after the arrest of Dutroux in 1996. As you will unfortunately be able to see for yourself when you read the article, the state of health of the Belgian judicial system after the arrest of Dutroux is no better than it was before.

Finally, especially for those of you who have informed me of your willingness to take action on the issue of the disappearance of children, I would like to draw your attention to an important meeting: "Les réseaux et l'impensable: le dévoilement" (Paedophile rings and the unthinkable: disclosure). This meeting, organised by the "network of Comités Blancs", will take place at the UCL (Auditoire Central D7 - Avenue Mounier - Woluwé-St-Lambert) on Friday 20 and Saturday 21 October.

Best wishes,

Olivier Dupuis