Foreign Minister Ben Bot urged Dutch voters not be influenced by the results of Sunday's French referendum on the European constitution treaty when they vote on the same issue three days later.

During a debate on NOS public television on Sunday, Bot said: "What the French do is their business: we have to make up our own minds."

The Dutch are due to vote in a non-binding referendum on the text Wednesday, with supporters of the treaty fearing that a French "no," which last-minute opinion polls predicted, would boost treaty rejectionists in the Netherlands.

Bot described the European Union as "the best association of states," adding that "even the best association must evolve."

"The constitution treaty is not a miracle remedy, but it will allow the European Union to work better and the union to be more democratic," he said.

The country's main political parties have said they will take the result of the referendum into consideration when deciding whether to ratify it in parliament if more than 30 percent of eligible voters take part.

According to a Dutch poll published Saturday, the 'no' camp is leading with 57 percent of votes against 43 percent in support of the text.

But the poll said the "no" camp could swell to 60 percent if France votes against the treaty on Sunday. Most of the polls ahead of the French vote showed the opponents of the treaty in the lead.

All 25 member states must approve the text either by parliamentary vote or referendum before it can come into effect next year.