Dutch MPs are demanding to know precisely what work 70 military personnel are going to be doing in Afghanistan. The Dutch soldiers are due to leave on Wednesday for Kunduz province, where they are to prepare for a Dutch mission to train Afghan police.
The parliamentary committee on foreign affairs and defence has called on ministers to guarantee in writing that Wednesday’s deployment will not constitute an “irreversible step” leading to the mission in Afghanistan. The mission is due to start sometime in the summer.
Support
The populist Freedom Party (PVV), which has an agreement to support the minority government in parliament on most issues, refused to back the mission to Afghanistan. The government had to agree to a number of concessions about the length and remit of the NATO-led mission to get enough opposition parties to back it.
Those opposition parties, led by Green Left, still have to be convinced that their demands have been met. Green Left leader Jolande Sap recently warned the government that her party’s support for the mission could still be withdrawn.
(mw)
© Radio Netherlands Worldwide
Email this Bulletin
Printer-friendly version
