Pubdate: Sun, 19 May 2002
Source: Times, The (UK)
Copyright: 2002 Times Newspapers Ltd
Contact:  http://www.the-times.co.uk/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/454
Author: Justin Sparks, Amsterdam and Peter Conradi London Times

HOLLAND'S HARRY POTTER AIMS TO MAGIC AWAY DRUG CAFES

THE coffee shops of Amsterdam, where cannabis and other soft drugs are
sold openly, are under threat after the swing to the right in last
Wednesday's general election.

The Christian Democrats, likely to form a coalition with the radical
anti-immigration Pim Fortuyn List, have vowed to close such cafes
across the Netherlands, blaming them for the growing drug use among
the young.

The party leader, Jan Peter Balkenende, a devout Christian who is
expected to be prime minister, promised to end tolerance of cannabis.

"This is not a battle we're going to win overnight," said Marcel Maer,
a Christian Democrat spokesman. "But we will chip away at the coffee
shops, greatly reducing their number over the next two years until
hopefully we can get rid of them altogether."

Balkenende, nicknamed Harry Potter for his youthful, owlish looks,
expects resistance not only from the shops and their users but also
from his prospective coalition partners.

Fortuyn, assassinated a week before the election, was known for
liberal views on drugs which some members of his List are believed to
share.

The government of Wim Kok, the outgoing Labour prime minister, had
reduced the number of coffee shops in the country from 1,200 to 840 -
a quarter of them in Amsterdam. The amount of drugs a customer may buy
was cut from 30g to 5g.

A recent report concluded that the average age of drug users was
continuing to fall, however, and drug-taking was common among
schoolchildren. A sharp rise in sales of hard drugs has challenged the
view that tolerance of cannabis frees police to combat the trade in
heroin and cocaine. Concern has also been growing over links between
some coffee shops and organised crime.

"We expect rules making it harder for coffee shops to keep their
licences," said Reier Elzinga, chairman of the Association of Cannabis
Retailers. "With Pim at the helm we were safe, but we're no longer
sure."

Drugs policy is only one of the issues that Balkenende will have to
hammer out with his coalition partners. Immigration could be even more
contentious.Fortuyn, who called Islam "backward", demanded an end to
all immigration - a policy dismissed by Balkenende as unacceptable.
Fortuyn's heirs have made little mention of the subject since their
victory, however, and seem prepared to soften their stance.

While talks continue, attention has focused on some of the more
colourful MPs who were elected under Fortuyn's banner. The party,
which came second with 26 of the 150 parliamentary seats - compared
with the Christian Democrats' 43 - was formed just three months ago.
Reports last week suggested that Fortuyn was so concerned about some
of his colleagues that he hired a detective agency to investigate them.

One member believed to have been under scrutiny is Cor Eberhard, a
sports photographer who became a pornography magnate and earned
millions from erotic websites. Eberhard denies impropriety. "I'm clean
as a baby," he said.

Internal feuds have led to several resignations and only one founder,
John Dost, remains. He drives a Rolls-Royce Corniche convertible and
keeps a yacht in the south of France, but has faced embarrassing
questions about his financial affairs.The Dutch tax authorities
confirmed that in lieu of unpaid taxes, they took control of an office
building in Rotterdam in which the party had its base, and seized
other assets.

Dost blamed his accountant. "The tax office has forgotten to pass on
information to the registry office," he said.

Even more disappointing is the disappearance of Winny de Jong, a
former model and actress who worked for the agriculture ministry and
was seen as a possible succesor to Fortuyn.

"Winny's at home in bed," said Mat Herben, Fortuyn's former spokesman
who was chosen as party leader instead. "She's worn out by the
pressure and hasn't been able to get over Pim's death. It's difficult
for many of us suddenly to be at the centre of media attention."