THE HAGUE, WILLEMSTAD – The Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte wants to extend the so called FOL treaty again for five years.

The treaty entered into force in 2001 and allows the United States to use the facilities at the airports of Curaçao and Aruba for anti-drug operations from the air.

The term was initially for ten years, after which it was implicitly extended for a five-year period. It will be extended each time for five years unless one of the parties one year before the expiry date indicates that it will not continue.

In 2011, the FOL treaty was extended until November 2, 2016. The Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bert Koenders indicated to parliament in the Netherlands yesterday through a letter that the government intends to work on a new term of five years.

The treaty, which is underlined by a Kingdom Ordinance, does not only concern Curaçao and Aruba, but also Sint Maarten and the Caribbean Netherlands (Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba). In practice the Americans operate exclusively from the Hato airport in Curaçao.

Bron: CuracaoChronicle