Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende recently hinted that the Netherlands would accept detainees from Guantánamo Bay, which US president Barack Obama plans to close by January 2010. Despite originally saying "no", the Netherlands has had its hand forced by other European countries agreeing, such as France, Begium, Spain and Italy.
And is a behind-the-scenes battle between Development Cooperation Minister Bert Koenders and Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Verhagen the reason behind the prime minister's reluctance to commit?
Bernard Hammelburg, senior foreign affairs analyst at RNW, spoke to Davion Ford about the prime minister's stance on Guantánamo Bay and the Netherlands' future role in Afghanistan.
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All honest people have to go to prison sooner or later. The freedom fighters who [tried to] strike back at the greatest terrorist country in the world are now sitting in Gitmo. They deserve a medal for the courage of making war against the USA. America has killed 2 million people in Iraq, and thousands in Afghanistan, in Pakistan and all over the world. The reason for these wars is oil, make no mistake. The Unocal pipeline that must come through Afghanistan did not offer any financial compensation to the Taliban, so they fight. Of course the Dutch must follow the biggest terrorist Obama, just like all the other small countries. It does not mean that they are right. It means they have no spine, and nothing to say. Balken is the Dutch word for braying, the sound a donkey makes. Ende is the end, so we have a premier minister with the name Last Braying! Jesus had a donkey that could talk I remember reading some where. What a mess. Get the boys of Gitmo to Holland and honour them.
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