THE HAGUE, 06/02/03 - Queen Beatrix appointed Frans Leijnse and Piet Hein Donner as 'informateurs' yesterday. They will lead the coalition negotiations between Labour (PvdA) leader Wouter Bos and his Christian democrat (CDA) counterpart Jan Peter Balkenende.

CDA's Justice Minister Donner also led the orientational phase of the cabinet formation. However, Bos insisted that Donner should be joined by a PvdA informateur for the second stage, in which specific policies will be discussed.

The Queen has commissioned the two informateurs to help try PvdA and CDA to form a coalition shortly. Nevertheless, Donner and Leijnse announced yesterday they will only be meeting with Bos and Balkenende today to determine the agenda for the upcoming negotiations in order to start actual talks tomorrow.

Donner also chaired the negotiations for the previous cabinet formation, when he helped CDA, Pim Fortuyn List (LPF) and the conservatives (VVD) reach agreement speedily. He initially brought up issues that the three parties were able to concur on quickly, leaving the controversial items until later. The brilliant lawyer, known for always traveling by bicycle, was applauded for his work, which he however himself described as "Boring solidity. "

Leijnse is less well known. Nevertheless, the chairman of the council of professional universities (HBO Council) was recently judged the most powerful man in the educational world by a weekly magazine. He is also a Crown-appointed member of the Socio-Economic Council (SER), the influential consultation body in which trade unions and employers are also represented. Leijnse, who calls himself a leftwing politician, was also the PvdA's deputy parliamentary leader from 1989 to 1994, during which period PvdA and CDA formed a coalition for the last time.

Leijnse became the HBO Council's chairman in 1998. The professional universities received negative publicity last year in connection with fraud concerning the enrolment of foreign students. Leijnse acknowledged a number of cases, but claimed there was no question of systematic fraud. Two of his fellow council members resigned, but Leijnse stayed on.