BRUSSELS — Francophone Socialist (PS) chairman Elio Di Rupo is trying to force the collapse of the Belgian federal government.

The warning came from Socialist (SP.A) politician Freddy Willockx and Sint-Niklaas mayor in an interview with newspaper ‘De Standaard’.

“I don’t rule out a government crisis in September,” he said, underpinning his personal observations by pointing to a series of incidents in recent weeks.

He said in Monday’s newspaper that Di Rupo has called for discrete talks over the nation’s linguistic conflict and has “thrown flowers” at the Christian trade union ACV.

Di Rupo has also recently appeared at the side of Flemish Christian Democrat (CD&V) Prime Minister Yves Leterme.

Willockx said Di Rupo has also indicated federal Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt cannot allow a third failure following debacles around the restructuring of the BHV electoral district and the decision by DHL cargo firm to abandon Zaventem Airport.

At the same time, Di Rupo let Socialist (PS) Social Affairs Minister Rudy Demotte unveil a new proposal to revamp the social security system that was at odds with the plan proposed by Verhofstadt and his Liberal (VLD) party.

Willockx said the moment of truth will come in September when the federal government discusses its pension plan and the national budget, asserting that it will be a make or break moment.

[Copyright Expatica News 2005]

Subject: Belgian news