THE HAGUE, 03/02/01 - Patience will do no harm. This is what Prime Minister Wim Kok said on Friday, after speculation about a marriage between Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and Maxima gained momentum during the past week.

Kok stated that parliament would not be asked for a judgement on an engagement, but only about a marriage. The premier considered that people should have "confidence" in "the wisdom and caution of the main actors". He maintained "good consultations with them" about all sensitive issues, including the marriage protocol.

Last week, Christian democrat (CDA) parliamentary leader Jaap de Hoop Scheffer accused Kok of not having the reins sufficiently in hand, after center-left (D66) MP Van Walsem had said that Maxima should not be allowed to become Queen. Before that, Kok's own party colleagues had also expressed criticism.

The prime minister said he could understand the impatience and emotion, but appealed for confidence to be placed in him as "director". He also pointed out that parliament only makes a "constitutional" pronouncement on a marriage, and not on an engagement.

Earlier in the day, the republican association Nieuw Republikeins Genootschap (NRG) had stated that Maxima's father Jorge Zorreguieta should be declared persona non grata. Moreover, Maxima should openly distance herself from her father's actions before the Upper and Lower Houses give permission for a marriage with Willem-Alexander.

The association, with some two hundred members, would prefer to see the monarchy disappear altogether. "But as long as it exists, it must be above reproach. " Although the NRG has registered a slight increase in its membership recently, the association does not anticipate achieving its objective in the near future. The vast majority of Dutch people are in favor of the monarchy, as every opinion poll consistently shows.