THE HAGUE, 13/03/03 - The Lower House yesterday expressed criticism of the role of the government in the secret investigation into the past of Princess Margarita's husband Edwin de Roy van Zuijdewyn. The MPs also demanded further clarification of questions they considered inadequately answered.

Pim Fortuyn List (LPF) and orthodox Christian party ChristenUnie urged a mediation attempt to calm the row that has boiled up between Princesss Margarita and her husband and the rest of the Royal Family. A 'humiliating' court case should be avoided, they consider.

The couple themselves followed the emergency debate from the public tribune. Premier Balkenende spoke of a "unique event in parliamentary history. " After some time, Margarita and her husband left the room again surrounded by hordes of journalists, who failed to prise a single comment from them.

Among other things, the couple is accusing the Royal Family of a financial boycott, libel and eavesdropping practices. Premier Balkenende said in a letter earlier this week that the domestic intelligence service BVD made no use of 'exceptional powers' (eavesdropping) in its investigation of De Roy van Zuijdewyn's past, but added that he would inform parliament if it turned out that this was the case after all.

The House considers that Balkenende's letter left some matters unclear. Labour (PvdA), the center-left (D66) and leftwing Greens (GroenLinks) demanded clarification yesterday of his statement that the passing on by the BVD of confidential information about De Roy van Zuijdewyn to third parties was "tolerable. "

The House also wants to know why the husband of Margarita was seen as 'dangerous to the state' (subversive). According to Balkenende, this criterion justified the fact that the BVD did not tell the government about its investigation, commissioned by the Queen's cabinet. The LPF wants to find out from the government whether the BVD also investigated politicians, including the assassinated Pim Fortuyn, under the pretext of being 'subversives.'

The debate was full of legal definitions on ministerial responsibility and interpretations of constitutional paragraphs. Justice Minister Donner repeatedly had to whisper advice to the premier. He concluded that "unclear and undesirable" things had happened but "no irregularities".

Socialist Party (SP) MP Van Bommel said he would soon release confidential information he has received from the couple. This is said to include a report by detectives who found microphones in their home in Amsterdam. Other parties considered that Van Bommel must now lay his cards on the table or shut up. But the SP MP said that it was not him, but the cabinet that must first provide openness about the 'Margarita affair'.