The Hindu : International : Language dispute rages in Belgium

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Thursday, May 12, 2005

International

International

Language dispute rages in Belgium

BRUSSELS: Belgium Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt sought to stave off a Government crisis on Wednesday after the parties in the governing coalition failed to settle a linguistic dispute over voting rights in districts around the bilingual capital.

Mr. Verhofstadt planned to ask Parliament for a vote of confidence in his coalition of Dutch-speaking and Francophone liberals and socialists, despite the failure of months-long negotiations to reach a deal on the electoral district dispute.

Observers said Mr. Verhofstadt was likely to win that vote. The Government now hopes to sidestep the linguistic issue for the next two years until planned elections, in order to focus attention on sluggish economic growth and high unemployment.

``The Government has major challenges at an economic level and that is our priority,'' said Interior Minister Patrick Dewael.

The Francophone socialist leader Elio Di Rupo, commenting on 10 months of fruitless talks, said on VRT radio: ``We have lost enough time.''

The dispute centres on a voting district comprising bilingual Brussels and 35 towns around the capital that lie in Flanders, Belgium's Dutch-speaking northern half. French speakers who have left the capital for the surrounding towns over the years can still legally vote for French-speaking parties based in Brussels. Dutch-speaking parties want Brussels cut from the district, saying Francophone parties poach 70,000 votes in Flanders.

French-speaking parties demand other language rights in return — a demand rejected by Dutch-speakers.

A parliamentary commission was supposed to look at the issue on Wednesday, but the meeting was cancelled to make time for the vote of confidence.

In Belgium, everything but the monarchy — from cable companies to the boy scouts, from health insurance providers to pigeon racing clubs — is split into Dutch and French-speaking camps.

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