Belgian PM offers resignation after failure to bridge crisis between French-, Dutch-speakers

Prime Minister Yves Leterme said Tuesday he had offered to resign after realizing it would be impossible to resolve deep divisions over increased autonomy for French- and Dutch-speaking Belgians.

King Albert II did not immediately accept the early morning resignation but began consultations with political leaders to resolve the crisis stemming from the failure of Leterme's Cabinet to reach agreement on constitutional reforms designed to grant more self-rule to Belgium's rival linguistic camps.

Francophone parties accuse Dutch-speakers of trying to separate themselves from French-speaking Wallonia, where the 15 percent unemployment rate is triple that of …