(20 Mar 2008) SHOTLIST
1. Former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, and new Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme walking into room
2. Photographers
3. Verhofstadt and Leterme shaking hands
4. Close of handshake, zoom out to wide
5. Reporters
6. Verhofstadt and Leterme leaving room
7. New government meeting
8. Close of Leterme at table
9. Various of meeting
10. Interior of parliament, zoom in to Leterme at podium
11. Minister seated
12. SOUNDBITE (French) Yves Leterme, Belgian Prime Minister:
+++TRANSLATION TO FOLLOW+++
13. Wide of parliament
14. Women holding banners
15. Various of parliament
STORYLINE
King Albert II appointed Flemish Christian Democrat leader Yves Leterme as Belgium's new prime minister on Thursday, ending a protracted political crisis that had threatened to split the country apart.
Leading a five-party coalition of his own Christian Democrats, Liberals and Socialists, Leterme presented his government's program to parliament.
He promised to get tough on immigration, cut taxes and boost pension benefits amid worries the country is headed for an economic slump.
The new 20-member cabinet follows the interim government of ex-premier Guy Verhofstadt who returned to the political stage three months ago when Leterme could not resolve a dispute between Dutch and French-speaking parties over more regional autonomy.
Wary of the damage caused by that dispute, which paralyzed Belgian politics for six months in 2007, Leterme promised on Thursday to boost "confidence in the government, not with empty promises but concrete measures by investing in health care, the environment and security."
Liberal Karel De Gucht will remain foreign minister until 2009, when he is to replace Louis Michel as Belgium's EU Commissioner, the VRT news network reported.
Patrick Dewael remains interior minister and Didier Reynders remains finance minister.
Details about planned spending to meet the new government's pension and immigration goals will be ironed out when it drafts a new budget.
The government takes over after nine months of political wrangling that plunged the country into a political crisis due to deep divisions over constitutional reform meant to devolve more powers to Dutch-speaking Flanders and Francophone Wallonia.
The crisis raised widespread fears that the nation's two linguistic halves, 6 million Dutch speakers and 4.5 million French speakers, no longer shared the same vision or goals, pushing them toward a break-up of Belgium.
Leterme's government plan leaves out any mention of constitutional reform.
That issue will continue to be handled by a special panel of lawmakers.

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