King refuses to accept Belgian PM's resignation

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Belgian King Albert refused to accept Prime Minister Yves Leterme's resignation on Thursday and asked three senior politicians to seek a way out of the country's political deadlock. Belgium's Flemish right wing party (Lijst Dedecker) President Jean-Marie Dedecker arrives at the Laeken Palace in Brussels ahead of a meeting with Belgium's King Albert II, July 16, 2008. (REUTERS/Francois Lenoir) Leterme submitted his government's resignation on Monday after less than four months in office, plunging Belgium into a new crisis and rekindling speculation that the 177-year-old nation would break apart. Leterme went to the king after a mid-July deadline passed to broker a deal between French- and Dutch-speakers on devolving more powers to the regions. The palace said on Thursday the monarch had asked two senior... [read full story]