French Impede Fight Against Terror

This is interesting:

PARIS In a dispute that security officials say illustrates the difficulties of creating a united European front against terrorism, Belgian officials on Friday accused France of endangering an anti-terror operation by disclosing that a suicide bomber in Iraq was a Belgian woman.

The Belgian authorities said French anti-terrorism officials had nearly foiled a lengthy investigation into an Al Qaeda terrorism network operating in Brussels by revealing the identity of Muriel Degauque - a former baker's assistant turned Islamic suicide bomber - before Belgian anti-terrorist police officers closed in on her cell.

They said the French leak had forced the Belgian officers to speed up planned dawn raids that this week resulted in the detainment of 14 suspects, 5 of whom were charged Thursday with involvement in a terrorist network that sent volunteers to Iraq. The network had included Degauque, a 38-year-old Belgian from the old industrial town of Charleroi, who blew herself up in Baghdad on Nov. 9.

"We are very concerned that French officials revealed the name of the Belgian suicide bomber before the Belgian police had made any arrests," said Annaik Devoghel, spokeswoman for Laurette Onkelinx, the Belgian justice minister. "This could have compromised an investigation that took months of work."

Evidence points to the leaker as a French judge with knowledge of the case. This is significant as France and Belgium are at the forefront of pushing EU cooperation. The article continues:

A Belgian official close to the case, who declined to give his name because of the diplomatic sensitivities of the dispute, said, "How can we trust French officials when they have loose lips?"

Easy answer--you can't.