Dear Honorable Senator Recourt,
Recalling the policy debate on relations with the Caribbean countries and municipalities of the Kingdom of the Netherlands with State Secretary Knops on April 6th, 2021.
Recalling your suggestion for an appointment of an independent researcher to analyze the aftermath of colonialism.
Recalling your belief that the relationship between the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the countries within the Kingdom need reform.
Recalling the proposal made by your person for a meeting to discuss the tasks, responsibilities, and powers that make cooperation with the Kingdom more fruitful.
Recalling your proposal to investigate which obstacles hinder cooperation from the colonial past in the Netherlands and the three countries within the Kingdom.
After extensive research, Pro Soualiga has concluded that the debate concerning the Kingdom can be encapsulated in one primary issue: How were the islands of the former Netherlands Antilles removed from the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories (NSGT’s) without a UN Resolution authorizing their removal?
Pro Soualiga Foundation kindly requests you to direct your attention to the following missing statements in Resolution 945X of December 15, 1955:
(a) that the former Netherlands Antilles have achieved a full measure of self-governance
(b) that the right of self-determination was exercised by the people of the Netherlands Antilles
(c) that Chapter XI of the United Nations Charter no longer applies
In the resolutions of the other territories that were decolonized during the 1950s, the UN followed a “uniform practice” of always including those three statements in the relevant resolutions. We urge you to compare the resolutions of Puerto Rico in 1953 (U.N. Resolution 748 VIII), Greenland in 1954 (U.N. Resolution 849 IX), and Alaska and Hawaii in 1959 (U.N. Resolution 1469 XIV) to Resolution 945X.
Bear in mind that without a UN resolution which states “Chapter XI no longer applies” there can exist no valid reason for the exclusion of the former Netherlands Antilles from the list of NSGT’s.
Bear in mind that Resolution 945X of December 15, 1955, contains no such language, and therefore cannot serve as the basis for removal from the list of NSGT’s.
If a United Nations Resolution which clearly states that:
(a) the former Netherlands Antilles have achieved a full measure of self-governance
(b) the right of self-determination was exercised by the people of the Netherlands Antilles
(c) Chapter XI of the United Nations Charter no longer applies
is not forthcoming, or does not exist, the islands of the former Netherlands Antilles need to be relisted on the list of Non-Self-Governing Territories which would then alleviate the vast majority of the decolonization issues that the Kingdom presently encounters. We look forward to hearing from you regarding this matter at your earliest convenience.
Thank you,
Mr. Renate L. Brison
Secretary
Pro Soualiga Foundation
