Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 27 september 2017

Are you watching, Germany? Dutch still trying to form a govt

months after the election. analyst who closely studies nation’s flag, hasn’t been
Day after day, the leaders elections and their after- tried before in a national
of the four Dutch parties maths says he would ad- German government.
have filed stoically into the vise her not to rush into a Merkel signaled Monday
ornate Stadhouderskamer new coalition. that she is not in a rush. Not-
room in the Dutch parlia- “In a polarized situation, ing the Netherlands’ ongo-
ment where, watched over she should just talk with ev- ing negotiations, she said
by hand-woven mural tap- erybody,” said Andre Krou- “so I’m not the most urgent
estries depicting Roman wel, a political scientist at case.”
deities, they are gradually the VU Amsterdam univer- The current Dutch nego-
hammering out the policies sity. tiations are the second-
of the next government co- Merkel’s bloc came in first longest on record for them,
alition. in Sunday’s vote but its eclipsed only by a 208-day
They’re getting close, but position was weakened. formation process in 1977.
consensus-driven Dutch Her Christian Democratic Talks in Belgium, which is
Angela Merkel, right, German Chancellor and Christian Demo- politics takes time. Union and its Bavaria-only already split along French
cratic Union, CDU, chairwoman listens to Bavarian state gover- Egos must be massaged, ally, the Christian Social and Flemish language lines,
nor and Christian Social Union, CSU, party chairman Horst See-
hofer, left, as they attend the parliamentary caucus of Merkel’s compromises brokered Union, won 33 percent of can take even longer. It
conservative Union bloc in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, Sept. 26, and, if they agree to work the vote — down from 41.5 took a whopping 541 days
2017. together, ministerial portfo- percent four years ago. Her of negotiations following
(AP Photo/Markus Schreiber) lios divvied up. The talks re- coalition partner for the last the 2010 election before
By MIKE CORDER government, the German sumed Tuesday afternoon. term, the Social Democrats Socialist Elio Di Rupo was
Associated Press chancellor need only look On his way in, Dutch Prime led by Martin Schulz, won appointed prime minister.
THE HAGUE, Netherlands across the border at the Minister Mark Rutte said he 20.5 percent and vowed to Merkel’s position now is sim-
(AP) — If Angela Merkel Netherlands, where four- did not have any tips for go into opposition. ilar to that of Dutch Prime
wants to see how tough it party coalition talks are still Merkel. To the right of Merkel, the Minister Rutte: they both
can be to form a multiparty grinding on more than six “She’s very wise and will nationalist Alternative for emerged victorious after
be able to handle it with- Germany, or AfD, swept an election, but lost seats
out my advice, no doubt,” into third place with 12.6 and their coalition partners.
Rutte told The Associated percent of the vote. Rutte initially tried to build
Press. All that has left Merkel look- an alliance between his
Lengthy talks to form a ing for new partners. free market People’s Party
coalition government are The most politically plau- for Freedom and Democ-
a regular feature in some sible option for Merkel is a racy, the Christian Demo-
European democracies — three-way coalition with crats, the centrist D66 party
Belgians once had to wait the pro-business Free Dem- and Green Left. The Greens,
more than 500 days for a ocrats and the traditionally however, pulled the plug
new government. left-leaning Greens. The on that alliance in May
Merkel, in power for 12 combination, called a “Ja- when negotiators failed to
years, is more used to form- maica” coalition because bridge the yawning gaps
ing a government with the parties’ colors match between the parties on im-
just one partner. A Dutch those of the Caribbean migration policy.q
Ex-rebel Serb commander sentenced to 15 years

By DARKO BANDIC crimes committed while gal battle against being
Associated Press he commanded Croatian handed over to Croatia’s
ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — A Serb rebels during the 1991- judiciary. He became Aus-
Croatian court on Tuesday 95 war when Serbs took up tralia’s first extradited war
sentenced a former Serb arms against Croatia’s se- crimes suspect.The three-
paramilitary commander cession from Yugoslavia. judge Croatian court panel
and Australian citizen to The 62-year-old Vasiljkovic, found Vasiljkovic guilty of
15 years in prison for war who was born in Serbia, two of the three charges,
crimes in the 1990s, includ- went to Australia as a teen- which included torturing
ing the killing and torture of ager, but returned to the and beating imprisoned
prisoners. Balkans to train Croatian Croatian police and army
Judges at the municipal Serb rebels in 1991. In Aus- troops and commanding a
court in the coastal town tralia, he was an army re- special forces unit involved
of Split said that Dragan servist and a golf instructor. in the destruction of Croa-
Vasiljkovic, also known as Vasiljkovic was extradit- tian villages. He was found
Captain Dragan and Dan- ed from Australia in July responsible for the death of
iel Snedden, is guilty of war 2015 after a 10-year le- at least two civilians. q