Claes was Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1992 until 1994 in the Government Jean-Luc Dehaene I, during which period he presided over Belgium's withdrawal from the UN peacekeeping mission in Rwanda during the Rwandan genocide.

Willy Claes, Belgian statesman who served as secretary-general of NATO from 1994 to 1995, when he resigned to face Belgian charges of corruption from his previous tenure as the country’s economics minister. He was ultimately found guilty of bribery. Learn more about Claes’s life …

Willy Claes was a Belgian politician and member of the Flemish Socialist Party. His term as NATO Secretary General was overshadowed by his involvement in a bribery scandal over Belgian defence purchases – the Agusta Affair - and he was forced to resign.

Willem Werner Hubert "Willy" Claes[1] (Dutch: [ˈʋɪli klaːs]; born 24 November 1938) is a Belgian politician. He served as the eighth Secretary General of NATO, from 1994 to 1995.

Between 1978-1982, Willy Claes was Minister of Economic Affairs in four governments led by Wilfried Martens, and in one headed by Mark Eyskens. He was also appointed Deputy Prime Minister, a post he has held five times.

Oct 20, 1995 · NATO chief Willy Claes resigned Friday, a day after the Belgian parliament voted to have him stand trial in connection with kickback scandals at home. He had faced overwhelming pressure to resign to spare NATO the ordeal of having its top official under indictment.

Willem Werner Hubert "Willy" Claes is a Belgian politician who served as the eighth Secretary General of NATO, from 1994 to 1995. Claes was forced to resign fro...

Willy Claes (6 February 1937 – 2017) was a Belgian weightlifter. He competed at the 1956 Summer Olympics and the 1960 Summer Olympics. [1]

NATO Secretary General In 1994, Claes reached the pinnacle of his career by becoming Secretary General of NATO. During his short tenure (1994-1995), NATO launched its first military intervention, in Bosnia.

Willy Claes is a Belgian politician, serving as Foreign Minister of Belgium from 1992 to 1994, and as the eighth Secretary General of NATO from 1994 to 1995. Willy Claes began his political career in the Hasselt City Council.