THE HAGUE, 07/02/01 - Any visit to the Netherlands by Jorge Zorreguieta would be against the constitution and international treaties. Queen Beatrix has not acted in the spirit of the constitution, according to R. van Elst, trainee judge at the Supreme Court of the Netherlands.

Van Elst gave his opinion in a personal capacity on Monday night in the television program Nova. He maintained that the father of Maxima, Crown Prince Willem-Alexander's girlfriend, was politically responsible as former agriculture minister for the crimes committed by the Argentine junta. He referred to article 90 of the Dutch constitution, which specifies that the government "promotes the international rule of law". Allowing Zorreguieta into the Netherlands would not promote the international rule of law, Van Elst said, and so he should be refused admission.

Van Elst, who is engaged in a research study into human rights, maintained that Queen Beatrix had acted against the spirit of the constitution. A previous visit to the Netherlands by Zorreguieta took place at the Queen's invitation.