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Brussels talks collapse as crisis deepens

Belgium slumped into one of the deepest political crises in 50 years on Wednesday when coalition talks between Flemish and Francophone parties collapsed under the weight of incessant recriminations between leaders of the language groups.

After a record 150 days without government, Flemish parties worsened the situation by using their majority electoral clout against the wishes of their Francophone counterparts in parliament to vote for the carve-up of a bilingual electoral district in and around Brussels.

They did so for the first time in many decades, effectively ditching a long tradition of consensus politics.

"We've lived with a certain balance. Today the Flemish have brutally broken that balance," said Francophone Socialist lawmaker Yvan Mayeur.

"It showed a total lack of loyalty," added Francophone Liberal Francois Xavier de Donnea, whose Flemish sister party voted for the carve-up.

Amid the chaos in parliament, it was up to King Albert to try to find a way out of the deadlock stifling the country of 6 million Dutch-speaking Flemings and 4.5 million Francophones since June elections.

There was talk of moving toward a government that would only take care of urgent political and economic business, leaving the linguistic disputes for later -- perhaps years later.

"I hope there will be a government that will deal with economic and social issues," said Francophone Liberal negotiator Didier Reynders.

Late on Tuesday, government negotiator Yves Leterme put forward a compromise to Christian Democrat and Liberal parties from both sides of the language border that slices Belgium into Flanders in the north and Francophone Wallonia in the south.

Flemish negotiators accepted the plan as a basis for more talks on the language rights in and around bilingual Brussels, but their Francophone counterparts rejected it, saying it would effectively bar French-speakers from voting for Francophone parties in a Flemish area around Brussels.

Late on Wednesday, the Flemish Christian Democrat and Liberal parties confirmed their confidence in Leterme to find a way out of the crisis and the Christian Democrats insisted a new coalition government would also have to tackle the linguistic problems.

Politicians and pundits braced for one of the biggest political crises in 50 years in Belgium, a country where linguistic issues lurk just below the surface of politics.

Leterme was the big winner of the June 10 elections but failed to achieve palpable progress on the two most divisive issues -- the rights of the Francophone minority living in Flanders close to Brussels and a further devolution of powers to the regions.

During months of brokering, Francophone parties complained that he was protecting Flemings' interests. Leterme didn't help his cause as a Belgian unifier when he could not say what was celebrated on Independence Day and sang the French Marseillaise when asked for the Belgian national anthem.

That stalemate has triggered growing support for Flemish nationalist parties and led to talk of a possible breakup of Belgium.

Some opponents in and around Brussels have responded by flying Belgium's red, black and yellow flag in a rare show of public patriotism.

The current dispute hinges on the language rights of a substantial French-speaking minority living in Flemish territory around Brussels, and a drive by economically strong Flanders for greater regional powers, in part to reduce the flow of Flemish tax revenues to poorer Wallonia.

The center-left government of Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, meanwhile, has continued in office in a caretaker capacity.
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