princess Astrid quits her job as chairwoman of Red Cross Belgium.
The princess's mandate ends 31st December 2007 and court has announced she will not be a candidate for the next term.
She will continue to support the projects and organisations she already got engaged in. She will also continue to support the Red Cross, but she's also intrested in new initiatives of other organisations who make efforts for humanitarian purposes in Belgium and abroad.
The princess has expressed her gatitude towards the 25,000 volunteers of the RC in Belgium: "Their continuous voluntary work has always been a source of inspiration and encouragement to me."
In March 2007 it became clear that there were disputes and tensions between the Flemish and the Walloon wing of the RC. Astrid is the national chairwoman. She's in favour of a unified RC, while both wings want more autonomy.
Astrid was chairwoman of the RC since 1994.