Jolande Sap, the leader of opposition party Green Left, says she’s enthusiastic about the Dutch police training mission in Afghanistan’s Kunduz province. Ms Sap has just returned from a visit to the country as part of a Dutch parliamentary delegation.

The strongly criticised training mission was only able to go ahead last year, after the minority government got the backing of Green Left and other opposition parties. The populist Freedom Party, which has an agreement to support the cabinet on most issues, had refused to back the mission.

On her return from the delegation’s four-day visit to Afghanistan, Ms Sap told journalists: “I’m impressed by what the Dutch trainers have been able to do.” She says she would like to see the Dutch going on to support the judicial system in Kunduz.

The government wants to extend the Kunduz mission to train border police and officers outside Kunduz. As yet, there are no plans to bolster the local system of justice.

Despite her enthusiasm about how the mission is doing, Ms Sap says the government cannot take for granted the support of Green Left for an extension of the mission. She says it’s now up to the cabinet to make a detailed proposal.

(mw/hs)

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