Walloons’ Threat To Split Belgium If Exiled King Returns To Throne

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23207, 20 March 1950, Page 5

Walloons’ Threat To Split Belgium If Exiled King Returns To Throne

(N.Z.P.A. —Reuter—Copyright.) (10.40 a.m.) BRUSSELS, March 19. M. Gaston Eyskens, the Belgian Catholic Prime Minister, who resigned yesterday, agreed today to try to form a new Government. M. Eyskens has merely accepted a “mission” to try to form a Government, and is not necessarily the* Premier-designate.

Belgium’s French - speaking Walloons today threatened to break away and form their own State if King Leopold tried to retake the throne.

The permanet committee of the Walloon Congress, at a secret meeting, decided that if King Leopold returned the Walloon members of Pailiament would table a bill providing for another plebiscite. This would demand that the country would be split into three federal autonomous States, namely Flanders (which favours King Leopold’s return), Wallonia and the bilingual Brussels area.

The Walloon leader, M. Ernand Dehousse, said the possibility of setting up a provisional Government of Wallonia “was not enshrined in the official Walloon doctrine “but that such a move must not be discounted under the present situation with which the country was faced.

“Fight Is On This Time”

“The fight is on this time,’’ he said. “The position of the Walloon outonomists is stronger than ever. We won’t yield an inch to the Flemish majority. ’

The national congress of the Belgian Socialist Party today unanimously decided to continue launching 24-hour warning strikes against the proposed return of King Leopold until he abaicates in favour of his son and heir, 19-year-old Prince Baudouin. The next strike is scheduled to start In Antwerp tomorrow when more than 15,000 dock: workers will down tools for 24 hours.

Groups of supporters and opponents of King Leopold’s return to the throne exchanged revolver shots at two places near Louvain today. Clashes occurred at Linden and Erps-Kwerps. The police said there were no casualties. Dispute Over Joint Session

Belgium’s Catholic-Liberal coalition Government resigned yesterday when the Liberal Ministers rejected the Catholic plan for a joint session of Parliament to decide the question of the King’s return. The Liberals insisted on separate meetings of the two Houses. The Catholics, with a majority of nine in the Senate and needing only two votes for a majority in the Lower House could expect a majority of at least seven in a joint session for their proposal to end the Regency and bring King Leopold back. Political observers thought the Liberals feared that some members of their party in the Lower House might vote for King Leopold at a joint session but would have to yield to party discipline at separate meetings. The -official Liberal position is against the King’s return. The Government’s resignation does not necessarily entail the dissolution of Parliament and new elections.

Catholics Support King’s Return

The ; Catholics have been supporting King Leopold’s return to the throne. The Cabinet comprised nine Catholics and eight Liberals. It was formed on August 10, 1949, after 45 days of political crisis caused by party differences over the possible return of King Leopold. M. Gaston Eyskens, himself a Catholic, handed the Government’s resignation to the Prince Regent after a threehour Cabinet meeting. A brief communique said merely that the Government had failed to reach an agreement on the calling of a joint session of Parliament. The Government’s resignation came in the wake of unofficial Labour protests against King Leopold’s possible return to the throne. The labour situation is still confused in the Walloon (French-speaking) provinces where the unions yesterday staged a series of 24-hour strikes as a protest against the possibility of King Leopold’s return.