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Belgian farmer accidentally moves French border

   Published
          6 hours ago

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   [56]About sharing
   The border stone engraved with the date 1819 image copyrightDavid
   Lavaux
   image captionThe border was marked out by stone markers which have
   remained in place

   A farmer in Belgium has caused a stir after inadvertently redrawing the
   country's border with France.

   A local history enthusiast was walking in the forest when he noticed
   the stone marking the boundary between the two countries had moved
   2.29m (7.5ft).

   The Belgian farmer, apparently annoyed by the stone in his tractor's
   path, had moved it inside French territory.

   Instead of causing international uproar, the incident has been met with
   smiles on both sides of the border.

   "He made Belgium bigger and France smaller, it's not a good idea,"
   David Lavaux, mayor of the Belgian village of Erquelinnes, told French
   TV channel TF1. That sort of move caused a headache between private
   landowners, he pointed out, let alone neighbouring states.

   The border between France and what is now Belgium stretches 620km (390
   miles). It was formally established under the Treaty of Kortrijk,
   signed in 1820 after Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo five years earlier.
   The stone dates back to 1819, when the border was first marked out.

   "I was happy, my town was bigger," the Belgian mayor added with a
   laugh. "But the mayor of Bousignies-sur-Roc didn't agree."
   Aerial view of a tractor in Belgium image copyrightGetty Images
   image captionThe farmer will now be asked to move the stone back to its
   original position (file pic)

   "We should be able to avoid a new border war," the amused mayor of the
   neighbouring French village, Aurélie Welonek, told La Voix du Nord.

   Local Belgian authorities plan to contact the farmer to ask him to
   return the stone to its original location. If that does not happen the
   case could end up at the Belgian foreign ministry, which would have to
   summon a Franco-Belgian border commission, dormant since 1930.

   Mr Lavaux noted that the farmer could also face criminal charges if he
   failed to comply.

   "If he shows good will, he won't have a problem, we will settle this
   issue amicably," he told Belgian news website Sudinfo.
   line

   More border stories:

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     * [58]France
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