80 million of these guilders will be used to bolster the Antilles public finances, which are still heavily indebted.  The Antilles have been awaiting approval by the International Monetary Fund of a National Recovery Plan, but the money promised by the Dutch will go a long way to helping recover their struggling public finances until the IMF deliberates on the Plan in March 2000.

The Dutch Government has told the Antilles Central Government that the 80 million guilders should be used for implementing the Recovery Plan and has asked to be kept informed of how it is spent.