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Iraq report 'almost caused cabinet collapse'Monday 18 January 2010 The government came close to collapse during the row last week over prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende's response to a report on the way the Netherlands came to support the invasion of Iraq, several newspapers report on Monday. 'There were moments when I did not know if we would make it,' Labour leader and finance minister Wouter Bos told tv programme Buitenhof on Sunday. The Labour party was furious when Balkenende appeared to dismiss some of the report's strongest criticisms and said he was speaking on behalf of the cabinet. Labour, which opposed the invasion, was not part of the government when the Netherlands decided to support the war politically but said it would not supply troops. The report said UN resolutions on Iraq were not an adequate basis for the invasion, a point which Balkenende said in his initial reaction was 'a difference of opinion'. Labour MPs were furious and called for a new statement. 'There is no middle ground in international law,' Bos told the show. Conclusions In particular, it was worrying that the foreign affairs minister took just 45 minutes to reach his position on the Iraq war and rarely deviated from that standpoint, Bos said. And in Saturday's NRC newspaper, the commission chairman Willibrord Davids said he was not completely happy with Balkenende's reaction. It was not entirely straight of Balkenende to point to the possible doubts one of the seven-strong commission had had about the legality of the invasion, he told the paper. Opinion polls The row over Iraq does appear to have damaged Balkenende and the Christian Democrats in the opinion polls. In a new Maurice de Hond poll out on Sunday, just 17% said they supported the prime minister's initial statement on Iraq. Support for Balkenende has now slumped to its lowest level since 2002 and only 16% want to see him as prime minister in the next government. The poll puts the CDA down two at 24 seats and says Geert Wilders anti-Islam PVV would emerge as the biggest party with 26 seats if there was an election tomorrow. © DutchNews.nl
Hang in there, J.P.!!!! By Jonathan | January 18, 2010 2:22 PM How sad! What a pity! By Gerard | January 18, 2010 2:33 PM Bos had a chance to do the right thing - bring down this fail government. But, NO, he opted to wait and try to improve his own personal chances. Cared much more for himslef than he did for doing the right thing for the country and the people. BOS - your time has come and passed. By bobsocks | January 18, 2010 3:23 PM yea, damn shame it didnt, religion and politics must NEVER mix, just look at countries where the taliban control things etc By adhd | January 18, 2010 4:12 PM Just how big a lie do you have to tell, and how arrogant can you be, to get booted out of the government? Trying to avoid commissioning an independent report and then dismissing its conclusions as 'a difference of opinion' seemingly isn't enough these days. By Cathy Scott | January 18, 2010 4:39 PM Such a pity....we ALMOST managed to get rid of these clowns. The only other govt who's equally as bad in Europe is that run by Berlusconi...and at least he has style and charisma. Not like these idiots!! By Caycu | January 19, 2010 2:22 PM [quote] it was worrying that the foreign affairs minister took just 45 minutes to reach his position on the Iraq war and rarely deviated from that standpoint, Bos said. [unquote] The foreign affairs minister must have been reading Henry Ford. Sounds about right. By KenM | January 19, 2010 6:27 PM
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Too bad. So close but yet so far!
By langer | January 18, 2010 10:09 AM