PRESS RELEASE (93)51                             9 August 1993


The Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization, Mr. Manfred Woerner, has today sent his warmest
congratulations to King Albert II, King of the Belgians, on
the occasion of his Majesty's accession to the throne.  On
behalf of the North Atlantic Alliance, the Secretary General
conveyed his best wishes to the new monarch for a long, happy
and prosperous reign over his country
and its people.  He looked forward also to a close
association between King Albert II and the
Alliance and expressed NATO's gratitude for the hospitality
it has long enjoyed from Belgium and
its people.