BELGIAN CRISIS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 21632, 8 February 1945, Page 5

BELGIAN CRISIS

CABINET RESIGNS LACK OF CONFIDENCE PREMIER STOPS DEBATE Ol a.m.) RUGBY, Feb. 7. M. Pierlot, the Belgian Prime Minister, handed the resignation of _ his Government to the Regent, Prince Charles. The news follows an earlier statement by the Brussels radio that M. Pierlot, after a debate in the Belgian Parliament this morning, had been to see the Regent to tender fiis resignation on the grounds that the Government no longer had the support of the House. After a short debate in the Chamber of Deputies to-day and before the vote was taken on the fate of the Government, M. Pierlot dramatically announced that he was handing in the Cabinet’s resignation immediately, says Reuter’s correspondent in Brussels. M. Pierlot said he was convinced that the Government no longer possessed the Chamber’s support and therefore there was no need to prolong the debate. M. Pierlot stopped the debate immediately after* the Minister of Justice, M. Venbart, had concluded a fervid defence of his handling of the Ministry in which he was repeatedly interrupted by questions as to why he had not prosecuted the collaborators more vigorously.

The Socialist deputy, M. Buset, in a crowded Senate Chamber, urged the formation of a new Government under the leadership of a young and determined man who had lived in Belgium throughout the occupation. He complained of a lack of co-ordination between the Ministries and services, and accused the Government of slackness in the purge programme, also indifference towards the resistance movement. M. Buset described M. Pierlot as a ferry pilot, when the country needed a master navigator of the high seas. M. Pierlot, in his reply, emphasised that there were two interests _to re-' concile—military necessities and civil needs. He added: “What I foresaw has come, to pass—we had the support of this House in the anxious days of November to January, but, outside this, there has not been much support.”

Enumerating the difficulties, such as lack of raw materials, food imports and transport, and.the second German offensive, M. Pierlot said he must protest against the state of mind which thought that all these were caused by somebody’s incapacity.