Brussels government: Green party Ecolo shoots down invitation to talks
Green party Ecolo has declined an invitation to a roundtable organised by Open VLD to restart negotiations on forming the Brussels government. The presence of the Flemish nationalist party N-VA would make the talks "a waste of time for everyone", according to Ecolo.
In a final attempt to break the political deadlock in Brussels, Open VLD negotiator Frédéric De Gucht invited parties to a roundtable meeting scheduled for Monday. The French-speaking greens will not be attending, its co-leader Marie Lecocq told BX1 radio on Thursday.
Lecocq said she had a "constructive meeting" with De Gucht on Wednesday, but that she remained firm on her position regarding the N-VA. Ecolo would only return to the negotiating table if the party were not part of the talks.
Open to new elections
On 2 September, De Gucht himself rejected a coalition plan proposed by Les Engagés that excluded the N-VA. He dismissed the proposal as "something that would make the surrealist Magritte envious and cause Kafka to blush".
If his attempt to initiate new negotiations fails, "we may have to admit at some point that we have failed politically" and call new elections, he said on Wednesday.
Lecocq is also open to the idea of new elections. "That is a possibility. Is it simple? No, but I think we can reshuffle the cards today,” she said on Thursday. Last week, Brussels MR leader David Leisterh also said tat he wanted to open a debate on organising new elections.
Ecolo co-leader Marie Lecocq © BELGA PHOTO BRUNO FAHY
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