Afghan president Hamid Karzai told the UN General Assembly in New York that he hopes Dutch soldiers will stay in Uruzgan, NOS news service reports on Monday.

According to Karzai, the Netherlands is one of the best countries when it comes to offers of help. US foreign minister Condoleeza Rice also spoke of her appreciation for what the Dutch soldiers are doing, NOS reports.
The Dutch government will decide later this year whether to extend the Uruzgan mission. Foreign affairs minister Maxime Verhagen renewed his calls yesterday for other countries to be more active in the south of Afghanistan, NOS reports.