Belgian Leterme to become new OECD Deputy Secretary-General

Belgium's caretaker Prime Minister, Yves Leterme, has been approved Friday to be Deputy Secretary-General of the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Leterme, 50, will take up his new post before the end of 2011 with a renewable mandate for two years, according to a statement issued by the OECD. "I am delighted to welcome Mr Leterme to the OECD," said Secretary-General Angel Gurria, appreciating his skills and experience after years' work on a number of ministerial posts. Leterme will be responsible for the OECD's social and governance portfolio which comprises education, skills, labour and employment, health, governance, small and medium-size enterprises and territorial development, in the place of former deputy Secretary-Generaly Aart de Geus, who left the organisation at the end of August, the statement added. Three other Deputy Secretary-Generals of the organization are: Italian Pier Carlo Padoan, Amercian Richard Boucher and Japanese Rintaro Tamaki.