AMSTERDAM, 13/11/03 - Rotterdam is not receiving any support from other large cities for its plan to bar any further accepted refugees from its boundaries. Amsterdam, The Hague and Utrecht all reject the plan.

Amsterdam alderman R. Oudkerk said yesterday accepted asylum-seekers are not the group causing problems regarding immigration. "These people are absolutely not among the deprived, as in Amsterdam we also have doctors and lawyers among them. They are simply welcome here. " Oudkerk also noted the number of asylum-seekers in the Netherlands has already been declining for a while.

Utrecht alderman H. Spekman agreed with Oudkerk. "The problem is absolutely not with accepted asylum-seekers. There are many highly-educated people among them from whom we as a society can really benefit. " The problems are primarily caused by rejected asylum-seekers, for which there is a lack of effective central government policy, according to Spekman.

Nor does The Hague alderman P. Heijnen consider Rotterdam's problems can be blamed on recognized refugees. He considers the fact that asylum-seekers often locate in one of the four big cities logical. "That is just what you are for as a big city. "

The Rotterdam council coalition of Liveable Rotterdam (LR), Christian democrats (CDA) and conservatives (VVD) will present their plans in detail within a month. The local Labour (PvdA) opposition party is also on their side. On Tuesday, it presented a 12-point plan, anticipating the coalition's proposals.

The responsible aldermen of Amsterdam, Utrecht and The Hague are all three PvdA members. LR, the biggest party in Rotterdam, is therefore pleased that the Rotterdam PvdA does support the plans. "But I suspect that the party hopes to score (politically) with this. We still have to have a debate on this subject in the council next month," said LR party leader R. Sorensen yesterday. The Rotterdam VVD also termed "the PvdA's U-turn remarkable. "