(De Ware Tijd) THE HAGUE – Henceforward, relations between Suriname and the Netherlands are based on only a few themes: rule of law and security, trade and economy, culture and education, public health and sports, and environment, water and climate. Not only has the development relation that lasted some 30 years been stopped, but the election of Desi Bouterse as President last year also plays a role in this regard. Bouterse’e election in particular would have put pressure on the relationship. In 2000, he was sentenced to 11 years in prison by a Dutch court due to his alleged involvement in drug trafficking. “In the December murders trial, Bouterse is also the main suspect. This fact also influences bilateral relations with Suriname,” Dutch Foreign Affairs Minister Uri Rosenthal writes in a nine-page letter to the Dutch Lower House. According to Rosenthal, that is why political relations with Suriname are determined in a certain framework. Among other things, the Netherlands respects the results of the democratic elections in Suriname, and the subsequent Parliamentary choice of Desi Bouterse as President. The Dutch will judge Suriname’s government on the basis of its appointments, policy intentions and policy deeds. “Contacts with President Bouterse are maintained on the basis of functional necessity. The Netherlands keeps striving for a business-like and involved relationship with Suriname, unless developments will make this impossible,” Rosenthal writes further.