EXPATICA: The party of Dutch anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders on Saturday reemerged as a possible government coalition partner.
The Christian Democrats agreed to exploratory talks with Wilders' PVV and the centre-right VVD.
Following June 9 elections won by the VVD, the Christian Democratic Action refused coalition talks involving Wilders' far-right Party for Freedom, but a party conference decided Saturday to take part in a new round of talks.
CDA leader Maxime Verhagen said the CDA would set no conditions for the discussions. But if this were to lead to real coalition negotiations, "there will be conditions", he said on national television.
These would involve "how we relate to each other as a society, the principles of the constitutional state, basic human rights that each individual should enjoy in the Netherlands.
"The CDA will not be part of a government that may put these issues up for discussion."
Wilders, who calls Islam fascist and campaigns for the banning of the Koran and the burqa, described CDA's move as a "good decision," according to news agency ANP.
On Tuesday, two weeks of coalition talks between the VVD, the labour PvdA, the centrist D66 and green GroenLinks broke down on issues of financial policy. >>> AFP | Saturday, July 24, 2010
