Socialist seeks to form Belgian government

The leader of Belgium's French-speaking socialists is starting his search for a coalition government, seeking to unblock an 11-month stalemate.

Elio Di Rupo will seek to bring parties from Dutch-speaking Flanders and French-speaking Wallonia closer together to find a compromise and give the linguistic regions in the nation more autonomy.

Little progress has been make since the June 13 elections. Richer Flanders has increasingly demanded more autonomy while Walloon politicians want to hang on to as many national institutions as possible for their financial survival. King Albert named Di Rupo as government broker late on Monday.