Amsterdam - The
Netherlands is ready to consider extending its military mission in Afghanistan, Defence Minister Eimert van Middelkoop said Tuesday. Van Middelkoop said the government would inform parliament by letter of its plans, following an official request by NATO to remain active in the Asian nation.
The Dutch have some 1,880 troops in Afghanistan, 1,250 of them stationed in the southern province of Uruzghan as part of NATO's International Security and Assistance Force (ISAF).
The Uruzghan mission is due to end in August, but the government coalition parties Christian Democrats and Christian Union have expressed a willingness for Dutch troops to remain.
In October, Foreign Affairs minister Maxime Verhagen sparked heated debate in parliament when he said the government would not rule out a new, smaller mission in Uruzghan or another province.
Labour, the second largest coalition party, opposes extending the Dutch presence, but faction leader Mariette Hamer does not rule out Dutch troops
training Afghan forces.
