Belgian counsellor hosts ‘iftar’ dinner

Islamabad
Summer time is vacation time and many people, including members of the diplomatic community, leave the country to take a break. The ambassador of Belgium, Peter Claes and his wife Alexandra are also going off -- the only difference is they are saying goodbye to Pakistan and will return for a few days later on to wind up their affairs.
To bid them farewell the Counsellor, Embassy of Belgium, Karel Van Hecke hosted an Iftar dinner at his residence that was attended by a few close friends of the couple, which made it a cosy and a 'getting to know you better' occasion.
After Iftar and a period of interaction, dinner was served. It was a formal affair and the host spoke a few words before the meal was served. He was very appreciative of his boss and his diplomatic qualities, saying 'you get what you give' to explain the conducive atmosphere that prevails in the embassy. Relating an incident that took place after he had been here only five days, he said Ambassador Claes had taken him along when he was going to meet the KPK governor and just before they entered the city, the driver was told to hoist the Belgian flag on their car and they went on their way. They also visited the victims of the Peshawar church attack which had taken place a few days earlier and both these acts gave him a good idea of what Peter was like as a person - someone whom he would be happy to work with and hone his diplomatic skills. Not forgetting to mention Alexandra and her help in 'other matters' -- as well as their daughter, who was a favoured visitor at the embassy -- he said he would never forget the Claes' hospitality while he was looking for a place to stay. He concluded by thanking his guests for accepting his invitation and expressing best wishes for the future of the guests of honour.
There was lively conversation on many subjects and the menu proved to be intriguing because the featured dessert, 'Ambassador's Favourite.' We -- including the guest of honour who said he had quite a few favourites -- tried to guess what it was, but were not successful and were pleasantly surprised when it was served, it was light and delicious, a different kind of 'pavlova' than what we are used to!
After dinner, Ambassador Claes thanked the host for inviting 'some of my close friends' -- since there are many more, Islamabad being a city with a fairly close knit community. "It was three years ago that I told Alex we had a chance to come to Pakistan and she was agreeable -- that is because I went on and on about the country" he said. (He had previously served as First Secretary in the 90's) He concluded by thanking everyone for being present for their first farewell; added a humourous touch by mentioning the dessert; said life goes on and they leave with many happy memories but hope to see all of them again when it was time for a final goodbye