He will hold talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Paris on Wednesday and with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday, before receiving Chinese Premier Xi Jinping in the French capital on Sunday.
The UN Security Council last week authorised “all necessary measures” to fight IS.
– Lockdown –
In Brussels, an eerie atmosphere hung over the city with soldiers in camouflage patrolling everywhere from railway stations to EU institutions.
In the normally bustling historic Grand Place, a few bars and restaurants were open for business but they were struggling to find customers.
In downtown Brussels, the only real activity was deliverymen offloading crates for near-empty shops as builders hammered together stalls for a Christmas market meant to open on Friday.
“My grandson said we should up sticks and move to the south of the Yser river, just like in World War I (after the Germans invaded),” said Michel, a retired man from a Dutch-speaking suburb.
“We have to be careful, but life has to go on — otherwise we’re finished,” said his wife Patricia.
The army and armed police will remain on the streets in coming days, the Belgian prime minister said, but schools and the metro system would reopen from Wednesday.
The European Union and NATO, which both have their headquarters in Brussels, said they would bolster security and urged non-essential staff to work from home.
The alert will be reviewed again on Monday.
Meanwhile the federal prosecutor’s office announced that a man who was arrested during a police operation in Belgium late Sunday has been charged with involvement in the Paris attacks, the fourth so far.
Mohammed Amri, 27, and Hamza Attou, 20, were charged on Monday on suspicion of helping Abdeslam escape to Brussels after the attacks, while a third unnamed person faces charges of aiding him when he reached the city.
Abdeslam’s brother Mohamed on Sunday told Belgian television he thought Salah had decided at the very last moment not to go through with his attack mission.
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