BRUSSELS, July 1 (Xinhua) -- King Philippe of Belgium met with two newly appointed "royal informants" on Monday to discuss their progress in rallying the country's political parties to build a federal government, according to a statement issued by the Royal Palace here.
The informants -- Johan Vande Lanotte and Didier Reynders -- are drafting a long and exhaustive "note," which will list all the main priorities of Belgium's political parties.
At a press conference following their meeting with the Belgian monarch, the informants confirmed that they will work "with all the parties likely to form or be part of a federal government" on the development of a note, which would "serve as a basis for future discussions."
So far, the discussions have focused mainly on the state of relations between the competing parties and the challenges that await the country.
Over the next two weeks, the informants will continue to consult Belgium's political parties to establish a basis on which to build a new government.
On May 30, King Philippe appointed Johan Vande Lanotte, a member of the Flemish socialist sp.a party, and Didier Reynders, current deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs and defense, a member of the Francophone liberal Reformist Movement (MR), as "royal informants"
On Monday, Vande Lanotte and Reynders have met King Philippe for the third time to inform him of their progress.
The federal elections in Belgium took place on May 26, when 150 members of the Chamber of Representatives were elected.
Given the economic, social and administrative configuration of Belgium's three regions (Flemish, Brussels-Capital and Walloon), it may well take considerable time before the linguistically divided country is able to establish a new federal coalition.
