Belgian king seeks new premier as Van Rompuy heads for EU - Summary

Brussels - Belgium's King Albert II on Friday began the search for a new prime minister, a day after the incumbent, Herman Van Rompuy, was named the European Union's first full-time president. Van Rompuy, who became premier in December, was seen in Belgium as one of the few politicians capable of reconciling the country's Dutch-speaking majority and French-speaking minority. His promotion to EU leadership has led commentators in the country to fear a renewed outburst of inter-communal friction.

Palace officials on Friday announced that the king had held separate talks with Van Rompuy, Didier Reynders, the head of the French-speaking liberal party, and Marianne Thyssen, the head of the Dutch-speaking conservative party.

Sources close to the process indicated that the king was expected to hold separate talks with the other leaders of the country's five-party ruling coalition during the course of the day.

Ahead of the meetings, Belgian media from both sides of the language divide speculated that the most likely successor to Van Rompuy would be his disgraced predecessor and party colleague, Yves Leterme.

Leterme headed the Belgian government in 2008 at a time of vicious political infighting between the country's language communities. Commentators warned Friday that his expected rehabilitation could spark a new round of strife.

"Nobody is thrilled with the idea, and the prospect of seeing him floundering around in the intercommunal negotiations doesn't reassure anyone," wrote French-language daily La Libre Belgique.

The conservative Leterme emerged as the surprise victor of national elections in 2007. Over 800,000 voters marked him as their personal preference, a Belgian record.

But his rule was marred by incessant feuding between Dutch and French speakers. It took him nine months to form a government. A further round of factional infighting led him to tender his resignation just three months later, a move the King rejected.

However, he was finally forced out in December following accusations that he had tried to interfere in an inquiry into the sale of collapsed banking giant Fortis. Van Rompuy, who replaced him, was hailed for restoring harmony between the two communities.

With Van Rompuy's promotion to the leadership of the EU, media on both sides say that Leterme's return is all but assured.

"Nobody can get round the man with 800,000 votes," wrote Dutch- language daily De Standaard, a phrase also used almost word for word by rival publication Het Laatste Nieuws.

That prospect has aroused a mix of resignation and fear, with commentators left to hope that Leterme's expected second term of office will be less fraught than the first.

Leterme "will have one priority task: to forge a solution (to the intercommunal issue) ... and one duty, to avoid a government crisis," wrote Beatrice Delvaux, chief editor of French-language daily Le Soir.

"Today, more than one person is holding their breath," Delvaux wrote.