Ministers delay Afghanistan decision

Tuesday 05 January 2010

Ministers are likely to delay taking a decision on the future of the Dutch involvement in Afghanistan until the end of the month, sources in the Hague have told the Volkskrant.

The Netherlands is due to pull its 2,000 soldiers and support workers out of the country from August, but is coming under increasing pressure from the US to remain.

Ministers had been due to discuss the situation at this week's cabinet meeting, the paper says.

Different scenarios

A number of scenarios have now been drawn up to allow some Dutch officials to remain. These range from a slimmed-down mission in Uruzgan, where Dutch soldiers have been active since 2006, to a limited training mission for the Afghan army and police.

The coalition Labour party is adamant that the Dutch mission must end by the end of the year but the Christian Democrats want to continue.

Reasons for the delay include the holiday break and the fact that a major conference on the peace efforts in Afghanistan is being held in London towards the end of January, the paper says.

© DutchNews.nl

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