THE HAGUE, 20/01/04 - Rejected asylum-seekers also rejected for the one-off amnesty of Immigration Minister Rita Verdonk cannot appeal against this, the Council of State has ruled. The ruling averts countless court cases.

Verdonk decided that asylum-seekers who had been awaiting the result of their asylum application in the Netherlands for over five years might stay if they spoke Dutch and had no criminal record, among other conditions. This led to 8,000 applications, most of which have been rejected, she had already indicated last August. The minister will announce this month how many asylum-seekers can stay.

Somalis at least have a chance of being allowed to stay for now. The European Court for Human Rights is investigating at the request of two asylum-seekers whether the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) is allowed to expel them with EU laissez-passers. Last Thursday, district courts in Amsterdam and Alkmaar ruled that the papers are valid, but pending its ruling, the human rights court has determined that the plaintiffs may remain in the Netherlands. The same may apply to asylum-seekers in similar circumstances that follow the appeal.