[South Florida DX Association] Caribbean DX News

[WILLIAM MARX]

>From Tony N2MFT

Delegations from the Dutch Antilles signed a declaration today in The 
Hague today reforming the status of these five former Dutch island 
colonies in the Caribbean.

As of 10 October 2010, the Dutch Antilles will cease to exist as a 
country. Curacao and St Maarten will become separate countries within 
the Kingdom of the Netherlands, while Bonaire, Saba and St Eustatius 
will become special Dutch municipalities. Aruba already had a separate 
status. The ceremony was attended by Prince Willem-Alexander and Deputy 
Kingdom Relations Minister Ank Bijleveld and caretaker Prime Minister 
Jan Peter Balkenende.

The prime minister called the declaration "a new chapter" . The 
intensive process which has taken five years is supposed to give the 
larger islands more autonomy.