Dutch Occupation Forces To Leave Iraq Mid-March

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Dutch Occupation Forces To Leave Iraq Mid-March
Arjan El Fassed, Electronic Iraq
17 January 2005

Dutch ministers have decided against a gradual withdrawal of the nation’s peacekeeping troops from Iraq and the mission will end as planned mid-March, it was reported on Monday.

The Netherlands will pull its soldiers out of Iraq on March 15, Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende confirmed after meeting today with his foreign and defense ministers Ben Bot and Henk Kamp.

Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, Foreign Minister Ben Bot and Defence Minister Henk Kamp met on Monday morning to discuss a proposed gradual withdrawal to ensure a vacuum is not left behind in the Dutch patrol area.

But Henk Brons, a spokesman for Balkenende later told the Dutch news agency ANP that the troops will be definitely withdrawn as planned in March. "During the meeting, the prime minister confirmed that the government will stand by its previous decision to end the Dutch military presence in Iraq on March 15," the spokesman said.

The full Cabinet will confirm the decision at its weekly meeting on Friday. The Dutch security responsibilities in the patrol area in the southern Iraqi province al-Muthanna will then be handed over to the British in March. The main detachment of some 1,400 Dutch troops will depart from Iraq in March, but several hundred soldiers will remain in the region for six to eight weeks to dismantle the Dutch camp, ANP reported.

Both the Christian Democrats and the Liberals were exerting pressure on the cabinet to extend the mission. But the cabinet, main opposition, the Labour Party and the Democrats were opposed to a proposed extension.

The decision was made despite pressure from the United States and two center-right parties in The Netherlands’ ruling coalition which advocated keeping the troops in Iraq longer. Foreign Minister Bot proposed a very gradual withdrawal from Iraq to meet requests from the US and Britain, which were concerned about a possible two to three week withdrawal.

Faced with strong public opposition, the Dutch government gave "political, but not military" support to the US-led invasion of Iraq and deployed a peacekeeping force to the south of the country in the summer of 2003. Two Dutch soldiers have been killed and Dutch troops have killed about a dozen Iraqis.

The Netherlands deployed around 1,400 soldiers to Iraq. They have been serving under British command in the southern province of Al-Muthanna.