New attempt at Belgian coalition

Eleven months after the Belgian parliamentary elections, King Albert II has instructed the Walloon Socialist Elio Di Rupo to form a coalition. But this is no great cause for optimism, writes the daily De Standaard: "If a draft agreement from Di Rupo serves to do nothing more than attempt one last time to play the Flemish parties off against each other it will be a complete washout. Nevertheless each party must now shoulder responsibility. ... What will become of this attempt? Will it be a continuation of the endless political manoeuvring or a genuine breakthrough? That is the question this 60-year-old son of immigrants must quickly answer. Optimism may be a moral duty, but an overdose of it serves no one's interests. The distance between north and south remains enormous. Months of negotiations have only led to endlessly complex plans but no agreements, to say nothing of a simplification of the political system. Let us wish Elio Di Rupo every success."

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