THE HAGUE, 06/10/00 - Prime Minister Wim Kok has not given a clear picture to the Lower House of what would happen if the Queen were to refuse to sign a resolution adopted by the Cabinet.

The question arose during the debate on the budget for the General Affairs Ministry, the Prime Minister's own department. Kok repeated his reactions to the proposals made by center-left (D66) parliamentary leader Thom de Graaf on the modernization of the monarchy. In the view of D66, the Queen should no longer be part of the government, and her signature should not be necessary to validate legislation and Cabinet decisions.

Kok opposed these ideas, claiming that the participation of the Queen in the government in fact ensures that problems with the signature never arise. If she has any objections to particular legislation or decisions, these can be settled during the normal consultations between monarch and Prime Minister.

Kok insisted that legislation and decisions had never been left unimplemented because the Queen was not willing to sign them. He was only prepared to say that a refusal by the Queen would indeed lead to a "constitutional crisis".