Belgians must begin preparing for their country to be broken up and abolished, one of their top politicians has warned

Leading socialist MP Laurette Onkelinx spoke as King Albert II struggled frantically to kick-start coalition talks between feuding French and Flemish political parties. She issued her doom-laden prediction after negotiations with Flemish separatist leaders collapsed. King Albert II attempted to re-launch talks between Belgium's French-speaking Wallonia and Dutch-speaking Flanders state parliaments to secure a more stable government than the current fragile day-to-day coalition. Belgium, which also holds the rotating presidency of the European Union until the end of 2010, has not had a stable government since June 2007. The stark comments from Onkelinx followed those of another leading francophone Socialist, Philippe Moureaux, who has said Belgium was on the verge of a 'progressive organization of separation'.