Romance links Dutch prince to junta

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands -- A formal complaint by a senior Dutch politician against the former Argentine military junta has thrown the spotlight on a romance between the Dutch crown prince and the daughter of a former junta member.

Crown Prince Willem-Alexander has been dating the Argentinian Maxima Zorreguieta for over a year, but as the romance has grown so have concerns about her father's political past.

Jorge Zorreguieta was a state secretary and later agriculture minister during Argentina's 1976-83 military dictatorship, when more than 30,000 people were estimated to have been killed or disappeared.

Maarten Mourik, a former Dutch ambassador to UNESCO, filed a petition to public prosecutors at the weekend accusing junta leaders, including Zorreguieta, of human rights abuses and torture.

The public prosecutors' office in The Hague said on Monday that the documents would be considered.

The move will not necessarily lead to court proceedings, but Mourik told Dutch media he hoped it would prevent the Netherlands' monarch forming any ties with a former junta member through a marriage of their children.

In November, Queen Beatrix hosted a dinner for Maxima's parents. A number of opposition parties expressed concern that the dinner had originally been kept secret and urged the cabinet to reveal its stance on the matter.

The romance between the blonde, fun-loving Argentine and the portly prince -- nicknamed Prins Pils for his beer-swilling prowess -- was officially confirmed in September.

Maxima joined the royal family's millennium celebrations in India and has begun taking lessons in Dutch culture and language.

If the prince wishes to wed, parliament will have to approve a special bill drawn up by the government permitting the marriage.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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