PHILIPSBURG - At the insistence of the parliamentary delegations of Aruba and Sint Maarten participating in the Interparliamentary Kingdom Consultation (Ipko), the appointment list explicitly states that the agreement of their governments with the draft Consensus Kingdom Act for the establishment of the Caribbean Body for Reform and Development (COHO) was not voluntary.
Delegations exchanged their views and agreed that parliaments would submit their comments and questions on the bill on 20 May. It is then up to the governments to agree on the answer. After that, the Dutch House of Representatives can schedule a plenary debate in which special delegates from the Caribbean countries can also participate. It seems unlikely that this will be before the summer recess. The IpKo delegations have agreed to meet again (virtually if necessary) before the final debate.
Although things were sometimes fierce and emotional behind the scenes during the IpKo on Sint Maarten, participants speak of fruitful discussions that have contributed to understanding each other's (differing) points of view. Nevertheless, it took two hours more than planned to agree on the appointment list.