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See my diary and excellent discussion on Uruzgan mission @ET … [110+ comments]
(RNW) – The Dutch government has fallen as a rift between coalition parties over extending Dutch military participation in Afghanistan could not be healed.
“Later today, I will will offer to her majesty the Queen the resignations of the ministers and deputy ministers of the PvdA (Labour Party),” Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende told journalists.
News of the collapse came in the early hours of Saturday morning following 16 hours of crisis meetings and days of speculation that the differences between the coalition parties had simply become too great to bridge.
Uruzgan
The issue where a compromise could not be found – whether or not to extend the military mission in the unruly Afghan province of Uruzgan – was itself not new. The cabinet decided back in the autumn of 2007 to extend the mission to Uruzgan by two years.
But the Labour Party felt it could not compromise again on an extension of the military mission. The criticism of Dutch support for the invasion of Iraq, presented by the independent Davids Commission in early January, only reinforced the Labour Party’s resolve.
Uneasy compromise typified the coalition from the beginning. The centre-right Christian Democrats (and its predecessors) had governed with the centre-left Labour Party before. But the two parties have trouble forming a stable coalition.
Balkenende IV was no exception. Difficulties were already apparent during the negotiations to form the government in the winter of 2007. All three coalition partners, the two larger parties plus the smaller Christian Union, had to compromise on major issues.
During three years of government, many decisions were made only after long disagreement inside the cabinet. These included plans to raise the government pension age, how long to try to keep government expenditures up in the wake of the economic downturn, and whether or not to keep investing in the development of a new fighter plane, the Joint Strike Fighter.
Save face abroad
The fall of the government may, paradoxically, help the Netherlands save face abroad. At NATO headquarters, as well as in the United States, there is little understanding for the Labour Party veto of extending the military mission in Uruzgan. The Netherlands pulling out of Uruzgan is a source of irritation both in Brussels and Washington. The Netherlands even risks losing its hard-earned seat at the G20 meetings.
The Netherlands and Afghanistan, how are we involved?
Since 2001 the Netherlands has been helping to bring stability and security to Afghanistan by providing humanitarian relief and development aid, and deploying troops.
Currently there are approximately 1500-1800 2000 Dutch troops stationed in Afghanistan, mainly as ground forces. The Netherlands also has six Apache and five Cougar helicopters, as well as six F16 fighter aircraft in the country.
The Netherlands is active not only in the southern province Uruzgan, but also in other parts of the country such as Baghlan, Bamiyan, Kabul and Kandahar. What our military forces have experienced there stands them in good stead for the difficult task facing them in Uruzgan. This province is one of the poorest and least developed provinces of Afghanistan.
Nature of the mission
Trust building is essential to the Dutch presence in Afghanistan. The soldiers invest a lot of time in making contact with local people, local authorities and unofficial leaders, including spiritual leaders. Greater trust is not just a basis for development, it also increases troops’ own security.
The Dutch respect the Afghan people and are knowledgeable about religious beliefs, local customs and traditions. We do our utmost only to use force as a measure of last resort. This approach is nicknamed the ‘Dutch approach’, though actually it is the approach of all ISAF partners. Security and stability are prerequisites of development. Apart from taking political, military and economic factors into account, Dutch efforts in conflict-sensitive regions are also development-oriented. This integrated approach, known as Defence, Development & Diplomacy (the 3-D approach), is necessary if sustainable peace, freedom and development are to be achieved.
What has been achieved so far?
The Netherlands is one of the leading bilateral donors for reconstruction and development in Afghanistan. The Netherlands has pledged an amount of € 150m for reconstruction of Afghanistan over the period of 2006-2009, having already contributed € 180m so far. This makes the Netherlands the third largest donor to the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF). The ARTF, managed by the World Bank, supports running costs of the Government of Afghanistan. For instance, the ARTF contributes to salaries of more than 270,000 civil servants, including 144,000 teachers. Over six million children, nearly 35% of them girls, will be enrolled in school in 2007/08, compared to a little more than a million students five years ago and very few girls. Also, about 13 million rural people in all 34 of Afghanistan’s provinces have benefited from improved water, roads and other small infrastructure projects through the National Solidarity Program.
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."
