THE HAGUE - The end of the centuries-long conflict over the national border on Sint Maarten seems to be in sight.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reached an agreement with France on the demarcation of the border between Sint Maarten and Saint-Martin. At least that can be deduced from today's agenda of the Kingdom Council of Ministers. It contains the “Proposal of a Kingdom Act approving the treaty between the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the French Republic”. Due to Minister Hoekstra's visit to the UN, its discussion has been postponed to the RMR of 31 March.
In 1648, the division of Sint Maarten into a Dutch and a French part was laid down in the Treaty of Concordia, but because the border was not marked everywhere, conflicts regularly arose. For example, at Oyster Pond on the east side of the island, which was only developed later. An agreement was made between the governments and the island governments to maintain the status quo pending the final determination of the border.
In 2016, French gendarmes nevertheless raided a Dutch restaurant to halt a renovation for which no permit had been issued. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs protested in Paris. Under pressure from the House of Representatives, the French were invited to record the border in a treaty, but they were in no hurry.