BELGIUM REVISES DOWN 1987 GNP GROWTH FORECASTS

  The Belgian government has lowered its
  forecast for the nominal increase in gross national product in
  1987 to 3.5 pct from an originally forecast 3.9 pct, Prime
  Minister Wilfried Martens said in a statement to parliament.
      He said this revision, which brings government forecasts
  more closely into line with those by private institutions,
  takes account of an anticipated slowdown in the world economy
  and international trade.
      But he said the impact on the Belgian economy will be
  limited due to recent agreements on wages and working
  conditions agreed by employers and unions.
      Martens did not say how much the government expected GNP to
  grow in volume terms.
      However, last month the government's Planning Bureau said
  it had revised its 1987 forecast for this to 0.9 pct from 2.0
  pct.
      In 1986, Belgium's gross national product rose 2.15 pct in
  volume terms against a 5.9 pct nominal rise.
  

