THE NETHERLANDS: The Dutch government has collapsed after just 12 weeks in office following a feud within the party of murdered, right-wing populist Pim Fortuyn. The Prime Minister, Mr Jan-Peter Balkenende, told parliament yesterday that he would hand his cabinet's resignation to Queen Beatrix after the failure of last-minute attempts to patch up the row.
"I came to the conclusion that no further fruitful, long-lasting partnership is possible within the coalition. Therefore, I plan to offer our resignation to the queen," he said.
The final days of the government, the most short-lived in Dutch history, were marked by a dispute over EU enlargement. The List Pim Fortuyn (LPF) and the small, liberal VVD, wanted the Netherlands to oppose the admission of Poland, Slovakia and Latvia into the EU in 2004. The parties argued that the three countries would not be ready to join by that date and that their accession should be postponed.
The European Commission recommended last week that 10 countries should be allowed to join the EU in 2004. EU leaders are due to approve the commission's recommendation at a summit in Brussels next week.
A foreign ministry spokesman said yesterday that the Netherlands would have to make its position on enlargement clear, irrespective of whether the current government or a caretaker cabinet was in charge of running the country.
"They have to agree on some sort of procedure to see that the Netherlands can go to the summit with some sort of point of view," he said.
The Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller, whose country holds the EU presidency, predicted yesterday that the Dutch government will agree a position that will allow enlargement to go ahead.
"I'm sure Holland will not stop enlargement, and that's the responsibility of any Dutch government whatever the situation back home is," he said.
The Enlargement Commissioner, Mr Guenter Verheugen, due to visit The Hague today, struck a similarly upbeat note.
"We are so close now that it is highly unlikely that a country would say that everything we have done in the past is void," he said.
Mr Fortuyn was shot dead nine days before the Netherlands' general election on May 15th, leaving behind a brand new party led by quarrelsome, political amateurs. Mr Fortuyn's personal charm and media skills won many supporters for his campaign to stop immigration and integrate foreigners, especially Muslims, more effectively into Dutch society.
The LPF emerged from the election as the second largest party with 26 seats in parliament. Support has evaporated since then and opinion polls suggest that the party would win only three or four seats if an election was held today.
Yesterday's announcement follows the resignation of two ministers from the LPF - Health Minister, Eduard Bomhoff and Economics Minister, Herman Heinsbroek after a power struggle between the two men. The LPF withdrew its support from the two ministers and ordered them to step down.
Mr Heinsbroek said that he found it impossible to continue working in the coalition government as a minister in the LPF. He said the party was unworkable, being so young and containing new members with very different visions. The VVD leader, Mr Gerrit Zalm, then called for the entire government to resign and new elections to be held.
"We need new elections as soon as possible. The situation has become unmanageable. The LPF never puts its chaos aside," he said.
