A'dam council formation progress; GroenLinks cries foul

The informer's report on the Amsterdam council's formation proceedings, Thom de Graaf, are leading GroenLinks to believe that the D66 were never interested in forming a council with them. The negotiations with the D66, VVD and GroenLinks in Amsterdam never led to anything, and De Graaf will make a new attempt at a council of mayors and aldermen on Tuesday. GroenLinks left the council talks on Thursday last week, for as yet still unknown reasons, but speculation is that the party felt it did not want to compromise its ideals by being in close quarters with the VVD, a rightist party. Now, De Graaf wants to look at possibilities for the PvdA, who lost big in the municipal council elections, to join the VVD in a new council with the SP. It seemed at first that Amsterdam would go forth towards a council without the PvdA, which has not happened since the Second World War. Because GroenLinks stepped out of the talks on Thursday, the D66 felt it necessary to go into negotiations with the social democrats. D66-leader for Amsterdam Jan Paternotte said he respected the decision of GroenLinks, but is disappointed the party left negotiations. "We were proud of the coalition agreement we had set up with GroenLinks earlier. The VVD wanted to endorse this agreement on important points, but this was not enough for GroenLinks", he said after the talks failed on Thursday. Today, GroenLinks rejects Paternotte's words, claiming that the D66 "played a game", and that this is the reason that Amsterdam is still without a council. On their website, the party writes: "It is clear that D66 never wanted to form the axis of a new council with GroenLinks." According to GroenLinks, D66 always wanted a right-liberal axis with the VVD.