DutchNews.nl - Cabinet in crisis over Afghanistan

The future of the coalition government is in doubt on Thursday morning, after Labour leader and deputy prime minister Wouter Bos said he would definitely not support a continuation of the Dutch mission in Afghanistan, despite a Nato request.

Newspapers are united that the government is in trouble. 'The cabinet is in crisis, the collapse nears' is the headline in the Telegraaf following yesterday's ministerial meeting at which Bos restated his position.

'The last solider must have left Uruzgan at the end of the year. We are keeping our promise to the man in the street,' Bos told reporters after the meeting.

Nato has asked the Netherlands to stay on for another year to help train local forces.

The issue will be formally discussed again on Friday but observers say behind the scenes frantic efforts are being made to shore up the coalition - already hit hard by divisions over the critical Davids report on Iraq.

CDA prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende, who wants to stay on, refused to say if the cabinet is in crisis after Wednesday's meeting. All the options are still on the table, he said. 'We have a major international responsibility to seriously examine the Nato secretary general's request,' he told reporters.

The Nato request was on the invitation of the Netherlands, a move which normally indicates agreement has been reached.

International role

Defense expert Rob de Wijk told Nos news it will be extremely damaging for the Netherlands if it turns down the Nato request after all.

A refusal would be insulting to the Nato secretary general and US deputy president Joe Biden. 'I fear we will have to pay a very high price for this,' he was quoted as saying.

'If you treat the secretary general of Nato with contempt, you can forget winning any high ranking jobs in Nato. So you won't have any influence any more. And that will creep through into other organisations, including the European Union,' he said.

The Netherlands has some 1,800 soldiers and support staff in Afghanistan, who are scheduled to begin pulling out in August.

Bull! The Netherlands has given a lot to Nato! If the Netherlands pulls out, the USA and Nato should respect the citizens of the netherlands wishes and not use threats to twist it´s arm!"

By sandrav | February 18, 2010 10:18 AM

Fantastic news!

Please can we be free of the 'Clean Shaven Follower' of their Leader, who had a beard.

CDA tell me that no one will take me seriously in Netherlands as I look like a Muslim ... due to my beard!

I wish Jan Peter would find his 'magic wand' again, wave it, and disappear the CDA.

By Gerard | February 18, 2010 10:37 AM

this particular government can't fall quick enough as far as I'm concerned. But then, I'm concerned about what the next shower of idiots would look like, based on current opinion polls.

Shafted if you do, shafted if you don't

By John | February 18, 2010 2:24 PM

I agree that the Netherlands must take its soldiers and any other personel out of Afghanistan. We have no business with the dirty war for oil influence and power of the U.S. This is their dirty business, in fact we oppose it!! Besides, the NATO is a North Atlantic Treaty, and it is again America that has misused the NATO and made it some kind of international military organization.... The NATO members must make this clear to the American hawks that the NATO has no business in Iraq, Afghanistan and those territories!

By peter Schütte | February 20, 2010 5:20 PM