THE HAGUE, 28/10/03 - The Christian democrats (CDA) want Turks and Moroccans of the second, third and later generations no longer to be eligible for dual nationality. MP Mirjam Sterk is asking Immigration Minister Rita Verdonk to ban having two passports.

At present, most young Turks and Moroccans who have been born and raised in the Netherlands obtain a passport from their parents' country of origin via these parents. This leads to legal problems, according to Sterk. As an example, she mentioned girls that are forced by their families to stay in Morocco after a holiday. "The fact that they have dual nationality means the Netherlands has no way of helping these citizens," Sterk argued.

In a Lower House debate yesterday, Sterk asked Minister Verdonk to investigate the possibility of a ban on dual nationality for later generations. She pointed out that the Dutch Nationality Act was revised in 1998, in such a way that curbing dual nationality would be possible. However, this amendment has never been evaluated, according to Sterk, who would consider it a sign of integration for holders of double passports to choose the Netherlands as their homeland.