After nearly failing to take place at all, the latest twice-yearly meeting of MPs from these three countries - which together form the Kingdom of the Netherlands - has just started on Aruba. An earlier meeting of the three actually broke down completely back in January 2008. All this demonstrates just how difficult relations are between them.

One member of the current Dutch parliamentary delegation is widely seen as being the reason behind the difficult start to the latest meeting. His name is Hero Brinkman - a member of Geert Wilders' far-right Freedom Party - and he has mounted a veritable crusade against the Antilles and Aruba. On more than one occasion Mr Brinkman has described the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom as "a corrupt nest of crooks", saying it would be better to auction them off on eBay.

Not serious
On Curaçao and Aruba in particular, many people believe the Netherlands still regards the Caribbean islands as colonies, with which it can do what it pleases. While Antillean and Aruban politicians think they are not being taken seriously, the Netherlands tends to point to the high level of debt built up by the Antilles and the cases of corruption which come to light. All these issues provide fuel for conflict.

Simplistic
Hero Brinkman has managed to throw all these sensitive issues into a very harsh light with his over-simplistic and generalised statements about corruption, incompetent politicians and the bottomless money pit which he claims the islands have become. The fact that he has been called to account for his comments by other MPs back at the Dutch parliament in The Hague has made no impression in the islands of Aruba and the Antilles. As a member of the Dutch delegation to these talks, his colleague MPs keep backing him up, thus providing yet more reason for irritation among the Antilleans and Arubans and for them to go on mistrusting their Dutch counterparts.

Gijs van den Heuvel
Radio Netherlands