The Netherlands should do whatever it takes to desegregate its primary schools, American civil rights activist Jesse Jackson has said. During a brief visit last week, Reverend Jackson said this should be Dutch national policy.

"Make segregation illegal and unacceptable. You must see people coming in as value added, not as threat."

The well-known civil rights activist, Baptist minister and former presidential candidate was in the Netherlands to deliver the annual Martin Luther King talk in The Hague. But he made the most of a five-day, four-country European tour, lecturing, hosting seminars, and meeting with youth groups.

And he made time for a face-to-face interview with Radio Netherlands Worldwide.

Desegregation has long been a central theme in Mr Jackson's life as an activist. He marched with Martin Luther King Jr, at a time when segregation of blacks in the American South was still a reality. So his advice to the Netherlands to actively integrate its minorities, particularly in the schools, carries some weight.

It also comes at an opportune moment. There is currently an intense debate taking place in the Netherlands about the importance of desegregating primary schools, and how best to do it. This is particularly difficult given that the Dutch school system is based on choice, and few want the state to intervene to eliminate that choice.

Mr Jackson says the state should do whatever it takes to desegregate schools. It is not an easy process, as the mixed legacy of forced school desegregation in the US shows. But, he says, it is worth it in the long run.

Time bomb
One result of segregation, according to Reverend Jackson, is that ethnic communities feel stigmatised, and become isolated.

"If you let people live in isolation, and make them feel left out, you are organising your own ticking time bomb."

That is precisely what has concerned many here, since the 2004 murder of filmmaker Theo van Gogh by a young Dutchman of Moroccan background. But Mr Jackson's message when it comes to integration is "Keep hope alive." He is impressed by young people he has met in The Hague and Amsterdam and the efforts they have taken to learn to live together.

And he is equally impressed by the Netherlands on the whole.

"You have all the right stuff. There's no reason why this society cannot be number one in whatever endeavour it pursues."

Reverend Jackson advocates universal acceptance of the International Criminal Court. He says the court is in the right country, and expects that under President Barack Obama, the United States will finally become a full member of the court.

Mr Jackson admires the initiatives the Netherlands is taking to rein in large bonuses in the banking sector. Indeed, his latest campaign has targeted American bank directors, whom he says are misusing government assistance to make themselves rich. Mr Jackson says he treasures the reception he has received in the Netherlands, and hopes to return.

Jackson on Obama
Mr Jackson is now a staunch supporter of Barack Obama. During the election campaign, he was heard saying "I want to cut his nuts off... Barack... he's talking down to black people", into a microphone that he didn't think was live. He regrets the remark, but says that friends can disagree. His current advice for the president is to simplify his message to the electorate. As it is now, Mr Obama is "part president, part professor".

The activist distances also himself from one of Mr Obama's policies: Afghanistan. And he advises the Netherlands to get out. "It's a high risk venture. I'm inclined to say - have a minimum involvement in Afghanistan."