Many questions remain unanswered following Thursday's one-day summit on the future of Afghanistan in London. Journalists were barred from the proceedings and diplomats refused to answer any questions about the future of the Dutch mission in Uruzgan.

No entry
Journalists were propped into a tent like cattle where they were told that the summit venue - the eighteenth century Lancaster House - was off-limits to the press. Dutch Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Verhagen and the Minister of Development Cooperation Bert Koenders had nobody pestering them with annoying questions. There was only one shot of the Dutch delegation on the special  TV screen for the press. It was impossible to see if an important foreign minister had placed the Dutch delegation under pressure.

Sinister plans?
This week Germany announced that it had decided to send extra troops. A German journalist brings me into contact with a member of the German delegation. She has worked in Afghanistan and has even paid a visit to Camp Holland. I ask her if Germany is attempting to convince the Netherlands to prolong its mission in Afghanistan. Does Minister Verhagen have any sinister plans? The German spokesperson nods her head in affirmation. However, when I attempt to get her to give me a direct answer, she says: "Mmm, call me after lunch. I'll look into it."

The military spokesperson for the ISAF headquarters in Kabul gives me a long stare when I ask him if pressure is being brought to bear upon the Netherlands. "If I knew, I wouldn't tell you. They are not meeting behind closed doors for the fun of it."

NATO boss
Suddenly I see that the Danish press is interviewing NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen on a secluded platform. The guard refuses to let me enter. He says there is not enough space. After a few minutes Rasmussen leaves in a hurry. I walk alongside the NATO chief and ask him if he attempted to convince the Netherlands to prolong its mission in Uruzgan.

"No, I must admit that I haven't yet discussed the matter with the Netherlands" he says almost apologetically. "I want all countries which are participating in the mission to continue to make every effort to help Afghanistan," shouts the former Danish prime minister as he disappears within the safe confines of Lancaster House.

Wildly enthusiastic
The press chief of the British Foreign Affairs Office knows the answer. He says that the sending of extra troops was not an issue at the conference. He patiently explains that the international community was deliberating over solutions to Afghanistan's political and economic problems. The EU's Special Representative in Afghanistan holds a brief press conference. He is wildly enthusiastic about Verhagen, but is unable to answer any questions. "He gave a really good speech just now. The Dutch have a lot of experience in Uruzgan."

Smart move
Later in the afternoon Verhagen himself stoked the fires of the Uruzgan controversy. He told a group of Dutch journalists that US General Stanley McChrystal and the Australian foreign minister had asked the Netherlands to extend the mission.

It's a smart move by a minister who is keen on prolonging the Afghanistan mission. The international press agencies quickly spread the news. Foreign Affairs Minister Verhagen says he made no commitments to the Americans and Australians. "However, I will pass on their message to the Cabinet." He leaves in less than ten minutes. "I have a bilateral meeting," he says. When I ask him who he is meeting, he only laughs.
 
Photo: Anti-Taliban Afghan demonstrators protest ahead of the Afghanistan Conference outside Lancaster House in London - EPA/ANDY RAIN