THE Belgian Prime Minister, Mr Jean-Luc Dehaene, was a man in a hurry to get out of town. Not that he had anything against Dublin - indeed, a spokesman said he was enthusiastic about the way the Irish had handled the summit - but as Bill Shankly once said, there is one thing more important than life and death - and, no doubt, summits - football.
Mr Dehaene was rushing back for the Belgium-Holland World Cup qualifier, in the hope, as he put it, of the three points in Dublin being followed by three more against the old football enemy.
Speaking to journalists after the meeting on Saturday, Mr Dehaene warmly welcomed the summit's strong support for proposals on stepping up a co-ordinated fight against trafficking in children. There was no sense, he said, of pointing the finger at Belgium, but a recognition of the international character of the problem.
Asked if there would be EU financial support for a European co-ordinating centre for lost children like that in the US Mr Dehaene thought that was possible.
The priority, however, was the need for member-states to finish the process of ratifying the Europol convention so that it could step up co-ordinating intelligence in the area.
He acknowledged the difficulty in getting agreement on the Stability Pact and the likelihood of more difficulties ahead. But the framework of regulations for the euro had now been put in place.
The summit had been a good meeting which had completed the agenda before it, he said.
