WILLEMSTAD - Undersecretary Raymond Knops of the Interior and Kingdom Relations has informed the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament by letter that the conditions set by the Netherlands for new emergency aid to Curaçao, Aruba and St Maarten are not negotiable. Knops already announced this last week during his visit to Curaçao.

Prime Minister Eugene Rhuggenaath subsequently created confusion by stating in media that there would still be room for negotiation, but in conversation with a local Dutch media, Rhuggenaath hinted a few days later that he had little hope of changes to the conditions.

Knops calls his approach in the letter 'unorthodox', but believes that the situation is so dire that it requires such action. The Undersecretary acknowledges that the autonomy of the islands will be limited by the Caribbean Reform Entity.

He writes about this: "The countries cannot bear their autonomy now. The Netherlands wants to help the countries to be able to fully bear that autonomy again. The entity will be involved in these matters when the Kingdom Act enters into force. It could give the impression that the Kingdom Act thereby violates the autonomy of the countries. However, this is not the case."

The Caribbean Reform Entity will be discussed for the third time at the Kingdom Council of Ministers next Friday. Whether the countries agree to the Dutch proposal is unknown.