Kosovo scenario for Belgium?

[Magda Hassan]

There is something deliciously ironic about this scenario. I don't suppose there will be any input from Serbia though.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnew...ation.html

Daily Telegraph
May 7, 2010

Belgium risks break-up and 'Kosovo' situation
A former Belgian prime minister has warned that national elections next month could lead to the break up of Belgium and a potentially explosive "Kosovo" situation in the heart of Europe

Bruno Waterfield in Brussels

Mark Eyskens, an economics professor and the country's Christian Democrat premier in 1981, said that Belgium stood on the brink of disaster.

Bitter fights for political control between Belgium's Flemish-Dutch speakers and francophone Walloons caused the collapse of the Belgian government two weeks ago, forcing early elections, to be held on June 13.

Opinion polls published earlier this week, showed that separatist Flemish parties, who support secession and the creation of an independent Flanders in the north of Belgium, were close to winning a majority of Dutch speaking voters.

Mr Eyskens, 76, predicted that victory for the separatists would lead to a breakaway Flanders "for the simple reason that French-speaking people and the inhabitants of Brussels would never accept" a constitutional separation.

He warned Flemish nationalists that in the event of an "unhappy and unfriendly" break-up, the remaining "petite Belgique" would block European Union membership for Flanders, leaving the new state isolated and struggling for international recognition.

"Independence for Flanders is likely to make Flanders a type of Kosovo," he said.

Mr Eyskens ruled out a violent Balkans style break up of Belgium but nevertheless stressed that the resulting diplomatic war and economic fallout from a split would be disastrous.

"In Belgium blood never runs, saliva runs much more. But it is saliva which can cost us dear because we are a very vulnerable country economically," he said.

The former Belgian prime minister, of Flemish origin, forecast that a Flemish separatist majority would instantly create a Greek style economic "catastrophe" for Belgium, which has one of Europe's highest levels of public debt.

"The separatists risk undermining Belgium's financial credibility, with extremely serious and negative consequences for the economic future," he said.

Opinion polls published on Thursday found that the separatist New-Flemish Alliance, or NVA, had the largest share of the vote in Flanders, with 23 per cent, for the first time. Other nationalist parties, including the far right Vlaams Belang had 16.5 per cent.