Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende has admitted that a better mandate in international law was required to begin a war against Iraq in 2003.
His statement comes in a letter to the Dutch parliament and represents his acceptance of the most important criticism voiced in the Davids Commission report. Initially, when the report into Dutch support for the war was presented on Tuesday, he refused to accept the point.
This initial response led to anger among MPs especially those from the Labour Party (PvdA). Labour is currently the major partner of the prime minister's Christian Democrats in the ruling coalition. The dispute led to an atmosphere of crisis in Dutch political circles.
The cabinet spent much of Wednesday discussing the issue and MPs debated it in parliament into Wednesday night.
Mr Balkenende also gave an undertaking in his letter to MPs that the government would look with a critical eye at the decision-making process that led to supporting the Iraq war. He promised ministers would be led in their deliberations by the conclusions of the Davids Commission report.
The prime minister says he will deliver his definitive response to the report at the beginning of next month.
photo: Dutch PM (centre) faces MPs (digitaal kanaal Politiek24)
Dutch PM (centre) faces MPs (digitaal kanaal Politiek24)
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