THE HAGUE - With the Kingdom Council of Ministers on Friday in the offing, Undersecretary Raymond Knops of Kingdom Relations leaves no misunderstanding in a letter to Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament today that the conditions set by the Netherlands for new loans to Curaçao, Aruba and St. Maarten cannot be negotiated.

The minister acknowledges that his approach is "unorthodox", but adds in the same breath that the situation requires it. He admits that the establishment of a Caribbean reform entity limits the autonomy of the countries, but argues that this applies to more consensual kingdom laws, such as those on financial supervision.

"Unorthodox does not mean that the proposal transgresses constitutional boundaries. The Statute for the Kingdom leaves the countries a great deal of scope, both procedurally and materially, in drawing up regulations to address cross-national issues. That space is used in this proposal, ” says Knops, who points out that Parliament remains undiminished the right to reject proposed reforms. In that case, it warns, the Netherlands can stop providing further financing.

On Friday, the Dutch proposal (an "optional offer") is on the agenda of the Council of Ministers for the third time. Although the treasury of Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten is virtually empty, none of the countries has hinted so far that they agree to the conditions this time.