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@@@ BRUSSELS, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- The number of marriages in Belgium involving foreign nationals fell by about 25 percent in 2013 owing to a government clampdown on bogus weddings, according to Le Soir on Tuesday.According to figures released by the Foreign Office, 7,300 weddings were stopped last year because one spouse only wanted to be married in order to gain a residence permit.This is a decrease of 25 percent compared to the previous year."It's encouraging. The plan seems to be working," the Secretary of State for Immigration Current Affairs, Maggie De Block, was quoted as saying.The number of marriages deemed suspicious by the authorities has been on the increase since 2004, and mainly focus on the Moroccan, Algerian and Turkish communities, according to Le Soir.The number of suspicious marriages fell from 9,064 in 2012 to 7, 278 in 2013.Convictions for those found guilty of such offences have increased from a maximum of three months in jail to three years, while the maximum fine has increased from 600 euros (802 U.S. dollars) to 3,000 euros. In addition, the judiciary can now deem the marriage illegal and deport the person from the country.