Dutch govt collapses after failing to reach immigration deal

The Hague, July 8 Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has announced the collapse of his government after a failure to reach an agreement on an immigration policy between the four coalition parties, a move that will now trigger elections later this year.

"It is no secret that the coalition partners have very different views on migration policy. And today we unfortunately have to conclude that those differences are irreconcilable," Xinhua news agency quoted Rutte as saying at a press conference in The Hague late Friday night following a meeting with his Ministers.

"This decision is difficult for all of us and for me personally too. It is regrettable that it did not work out," he added.

The four parties all believe that measures need to be taken on migration issues, but they still have disputes about the strictness of the approach.

The most thorny issue is family reunification.

Rutte's People's Party for Freedom and Democracy and the Christian Democratic Appeal insisted that a restriction on family reunification is a way to reduce the migration flow, but the Democrats 66 and Christian Union drew a red line on this.

The government later said in a statement that Rutte has filed an application for the resignation of all ministers and state secretaries to King Willem-Alexander.

"The King has considered the application for dismissal and has requested the Prime Minister, Ministers and State Secretaries to continue to do whatever they deem necessary in the interests of the Kingdom," it said.

The monarch will meet with Rutte on Saturday for an explanation of the cabinet's application for resignation, it added.