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The Netherlands: Dutch government collapses over Afghanistan
Dutch News:
The Dutch government collapsed in the early hours of Saturday morning over Labour's insistence that the Netherlands pull out of Afghanistan this year.
After two days of intensive talks and a bitter parliamentary debate, it had become increasingly clear the gulf between prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende and deputy prime minister Wouter Bos was too great to bridge.
Labour leader Bos stated earlier this week that he wanted a decision on Nato's request to the Netherlands to stay in Afghanistan at Friday's cabinet meeting. And that decision would have to be a no, he said repeatedly.
Balkenende said he wanted to keep all options open and was sticking to the March 1 deadline.
'I have to conclude that there is no fruitful path to allow this cabinet to continue,' Balkenende said in a short statement.
The Labour party's comments had placed a 'political mortgage' on the cabinet, he said.
Efforts to restore trust between the parties had failed, he said. 'Given the challenges facing the Netherlands, what is needed is strength, not the easy way out.'
The prime minister will now offer his government's resignation to the queen, who is skiing in Lech, Austria.
This is the fourth Balkenende government not to complete a formal four year term. Two others collapsed over political infighting and one was a minority cabinet.
A general election will take place within three months and will not affect the local elections which take place on March 3.
The collapse of the government means that the withdrawal of Dutch troops from Afghanistan will now begin in August because caretaker ministers are not allowed to make controversial decisions.
'A withdrawal will damage the reputation of the Dutch as a reliable partner that is willing and able to contribute to important military missions,' Edwin Bakker, a senior research fellow at the Clingendael Institute in The Hague told news agency Reuters.
The Netherlands has some 1,800 soldiers and support staff in Afghanistan, mainly in the southern region of Uruzgan. In total, 21 Dutch soldiers have been killed in the region.
Other important decisions will also now be put on hold. This means there is unlikely to be any moves on government spending cuts planned for 2011 to get the national finances back under control. The budget deficit is set to reach 6.1% this year, double the EU limit.
Some 20 committees are currently looking at all areas of government activity in an effort to find �35bn in savings.
According to the latest opinion polls, the CDA and Geert Wilders' anti-immigration party PVV will be the biggest parties after the vote. But there are indications Labour's decision to pull out of the government may boost its electoral fortunes.
Dutch News:
The Dutch government collapsed in the early hours of Saturday morning over Labour's insistence that the Netherlands pull out of Afghanistan this year.
After two days of intensive talks and a bitter parliamentary debate, it had become increasingly clear the gulf between prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende and deputy prime minister Wouter Bos was too great to bridge.
Labour leader Bos stated earlier this week that he wanted a decision on Nato's request to the Netherlands to stay in Afghanistan at Friday's cabinet meeting. And that decision would have to be a no, he said repeatedly.
Balkenende said he wanted to keep all options open and was sticking to the March 1 deadline.
'I have to conclude that there is no fruitful path to allow this cabinet to continue,' Balkenende said in a short statement.
The Labour party's comments had placed a 'political mortgage' on the cabinet, he said.
Efforts to restore trust between the parties had failed, he said. 'Given the challenges facing the Netherlands, what is needed is strength, not the easy way out.'
The prime minister will now offer his government's resignation to the queen, who is skiing in Lech, Austria.
This is the fourth Balkenende government not to complete a formal four year term. Two others collapsed over political infighting and one was a minority cabinet.
A general election will take place within three months and will not affect the local elections which take place on March 3.
The collapse of the government means that the withdrawal of Dutch troops from Afghanistan will now begin in August because caretaker ministers are not allowed to make controversial decisions.
'A withdrawal will damage the reputation of the Dutch as a reliable partner that is willing and able to contribute to important military missions,' Edwin Bakker, a senior research fellow at the Clingendael Institute in The Hague told news agency Reuters.
The Netherlands has some 1,800 soldiers and support staff in Afghanistan, mainly in the southern region of Uruzgan. In total, 21 Dutch soldiers have been killed in the region.
Other important decisions will also now be put on hold. This means there is unlikely to be any moves on government spending cuts planned for 2011 to get the national finances back under control. The budget deficit is set to reach 6.1% this year, double the EU limit.
Some 20 committees are currently looking at all areas of government activity in an effort to find �35bn in savings.
According to the latest opinion polls, the CDA and Geert Wilders' anti-immigration party PVV will be the biggest parties after the vote. But there are indications Labour's decision to pull out of the government may boost its electoral fortunes.