Treaty signed on revised demarcation of border…
leaves many with lingering questions and concerns about what is laid down as the new boundaries:
On the 26 May 2023 The Kingdom Council of Ministers in The Hague, approved a new Treaty with the Republic of France that covers the exact demarcation of the border between French St.Martin and Dutch St. Maarten.
The Dutch representative who is responsible for Kingdom Relations Ms
Alexander van Huffelen when speaking about what was agreed between France and the Netherlands, mentioned that she had good news for St. Maarten because this treaty was designed to address a long standing dispute that existed in the Oyster Pond area.
When the situation flared up in 2016 and as a result of how it was handled by French Authorities, William Marlin who was Prime Minister at the time, boycotted the St. Martin Day Celebration in protest of the dispute in Oyster Pond.
The summary of information provided on what was included in the treaty was said to provide clarity to the people and businesses on both sides but is (yet to be officially published) and therefore not clear to all as yet.
What was included in the treaty that was mentioned, was the arrangement made about the preservation and maintenance of the border; the mutual rights of citizens in border crossing; Island waters, and the legal position of persons and entities that would be affected by this treaty, and that, a joint border committees to be established.
The Kingdom Council of Ministers in the Netherlands therefore agreed to a proposal from the dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Wopke Hoekstra, that a Kingdom Law is necessary to establish the treaty between the Republic of France and the Kingdom of the Netherlands; but until such time when the legal process is handled the details of the exact boundary remain undisclosed.
That leaves many with lingering questions and concerns about what is laid down as the new demarcation, compared to what was established in 1648 and is known by citizens to be the imaginary borders across the Island. This treaty, although it was symbolically signed by the Prime Minister of St. Maarten and the French Representative, is lacking clarity and details for a people who consider themselves one, on both French and Dutch side, and should be knowledgable of where the border lies..
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