THE HAGUE, 03/04/01 - Prime Minister Wim Kok has been applauded by friend and foe for his hidden diplomacy. His choice of Max van der Stoel to talk to Jorge Zorreguieta about his role during the military dictatorship in Argentina was praised from all sides.

Van der Stoel (76) was given the commission by Kok on 12 January, a week before Willem-Alexander proposed to Maxima. The former minister and human rights advocate was armed with the bulky report in which Professor M. Baud had drawn harsh conclusions about Zorreguieta involvement in the Videla regime.

It was unthinkable that Zorreguieta, as a member of the Cabinet, knew nothing of the oppression and human rights violations in Argentina in the period 1976-1983, Baud concluded. This made it clear to Kok that Maxima's father could not be welcome at the wedding, should his daughter marry the Dutch Crown Prince.

On 15 and 16 February, and again on 10 March, Van der Stoel held long talks with Zorreguieta in the United States and Brazil to convince him of the sensitivities in the Netherlands. His mediation proved successful, and Zorreguieta decided for himself that he would not attend his daughter's wedding. This was the best possible solution, in Kok's view, for an extremely tricky political problem.

During a long career in politics and diplomacy, Van der Stoel always operated cautiously and circumspectly. Hidden diplomacy was the main weapon available to the former Foreign Minister, representative of the United Nations and member of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). In 1999, the Cabinet nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize.