dutch not impressed with us

Dutch govt criticizes US over remarks on Afghanistan deployment
Xinhua
Ariana Media Publication
01/11/2006
e-ariana.com/ariana/eariana.nsf/allDocs/6D4872B41BA6D40F872570F3007174FE?OpenDocument

BRUSSELS - Dutch government ministers and lawmakers have criticized the escalating US pressure on the Netherlands to send 1,200 troops to southern Afghanistan as part of the NATO expansion of peace-keeping mission i country, Dutch media reported Wednesday.

Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende said on Tuesday that the comments by some US officials recently showed "too little respect for what the Netherlands has done over the years for the international community."

US assistant secretary for European and Eurasian affairs, Daniel Fried, said in an interview with a Dutch newspaper published on Tuesday that he was "perplexed" by the Dutch hesitation at sending troops. He also described the debate in the Netherlands about the Afghanistan mission as "overheated".

Earlier on Monday, the same Dutch newspaper, De Volkskrant, quoted former US civilian chief in Iraq Paul Bremer as saying that the Netherlands could expect economic penalties if it did not send troops to the volatile Afghan province of Uruzgan.

While unhappy with the US remarks, Balkenende said he did not feel under international pressure when making decisions on the Afghanistan issue.

Dutch Minister for Government Reform and Kingdom Relations Alexander Pechtold also voiced disappointment at the US pressure on Tuesday.

"It doesn't contribute to a good debate on the substance of the issue that we must have in the Netherlands," said the minister from the Liberal Democrats 66 party, which opposes the Afghanistan mission.

Dutch legislators are more vocal about their resentment of the US approach. Members from all main political parties have criticized the US attitude.

MP Henk Jan Ormel from the main coalition party, the Christian Democratic Appeal, said the lobby from Washington was irritating and counter-productive.

Bert Koenders, a lawmaker from the opposition Labor Party, echoed the sentiments. "The improper use of pressure has an adverse effect," he said.

MP Hans van Baalen, a member of the Liberal Party which supports the deployment, said the American lobby was understandable, but he thought it inappropriate that Washington was now also using the media to put pressure on The Hague.

NATO foreign ministers endorsed a plan last month to extend the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) from the north and the west of Afghanistan to the south where both al-Qaidaand the Taliban are active.

Britain, Canada and the Netherlands were tipped to lead the operation, which requires about 6,000 additional troops.

But in the Netherlands, the proposed deployment met strong opposition both in parliament and among the public. Although PrimeMinister Balkenende was firmly behind the plan, his cabinet is split over the issue, with two ministers refusing to back the mission.