BRUSSELS, May 8 (Xinhua) -- Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt reiterated the apology to the Jewish community on Tuesday for the deportation of Belgian Jews during the Holocaust.

    Speaking at a ceremony in Brussels to mark the 62nd anniversary of the end of the Second World War, Verhofstadt said "it is impossible to go forward" without recognizing the role Belgian officials played in the murder of European Jewry.

    He told local Jews that he is committed to "a future where this will never happen again."

    The prime minister also said that the compensation process for the Jewish victims would be completed by the end of the year. The 5,640 requests for compensation introduced by Jewish victims for the event between 2001 and 2006 would be entirely treated by the end of the year. "The sums which will not have been refunded individually will be transmitted to the Foundation of the Judaism of Belgium," it added.

    Verhofstadt made the apology on the day when a government-backed report titled "Submissive Belgium" was released. The report concluded that top Belgian officials collaborated with the Nazis during World War II.

    "This report indicates that the authorities were too flexible. Worse, in several cases, they collaborated with the deportation and the continuation of the Jews of Belgium," he said.

    Verhofstadt then unveiled a memorial to Belgians who worked to save Jews during the Holocaust.¡¡