View Single Post
  #18  
Old 04-11-07, 21:17
John McGillivray's Avatar
John McGillivray John McGillivray is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Quebec
Posts: 1,089
Default

Dutch weighing Afghan 'responsibilities': minister
Updated Sun. Nov. 4 2007 1:21 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
The Dutch government knows that if it decides to pull out of Afghanistan, it will make it more difficult for Canada to stay, says The Netherlands' defence minister.
"But we do realize in this country ... that we started a serious job that will take many, many years to help that country," Eimert van Middelkoop told CTV's Question Period on Sunday.
Speaking from The Hague, the minister said that his country's Parliament will be debating the extension issue in December.
The Netherland's international responsibilities, along with its national interests, will be part of that debate, he said.
"For the whole of NATO ... it would be very difficult if one of the countries -- the Netherlands or Canada or the Netherlands -- will say 'no,'" van Middelkoop said.
"If one of the countries will go home, all the problems of the other countries will increase. That is the international responsibility."
Van Middelkoop has been very critical of some NATO member countries over their reluctance to put troops and equipment in harm's way.
"There is no such thing as a free ride to peace and security. Fair risk and burden-sharing remain the leading principles of this alliance," he said during a meeting of NATO defence ministers in the Netherlands in late October.
In response, some countries promised small increases in the number of troops and military trainers.
The Dutch commitment currently expires in August 2008. The country's troops are operating in Uruzgan province, which lies immediately north of Kandahar province -- Canada's area of responsibility.
Twelve Dutch troops have died in Afghanistan, the latest in a roadside bombing on Saturday. About 1,700 Dutch troops are serving in Afghanistan.
Canada has lost 71 troops and one diplomat in Afghanistan since 2002. About 2,500 Canadian troops are serving ther.
Extending the mission has been a major political controversy in this country, with the minority Conservative government wanting to extend the current mission to 2011.
The three opposition parties oppose an extension of the current mission, which has seen Canadian troops in heavy combat. The NDP would like to see the troops brought home now.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has advocated that if Canada stays until 2011, Afghanistan's national army could be largely self-sufficient.
Gen. Rick Hillier, Canada's chief of defence staff, caused a furor when he said it could take a decade to develop Afghanistan's national army -- but he later said he's on the same page as the prime minister.
Van Middelkoop sided with Harper.
If the Netherlands extends its commitment to 2010, "the Afghan National Army will be a very effective and realistic actor in the field, and then we can start an exit strategy," he said.
However, van Middelkoop didn't make it clear whether he was speaking about the Dutch operations in Uruzgan or NATO operations as a whole.
On the notion of success, "the term 'winning' is maybe a little bit risky," he said, noting the Dutch and Canadian troops aren't fighting a classic war.
"Winning is that at a certain moment, you can say to Kabul, to President (Hamid) Karzai, 'we think you can do it on your own,'" he said.
"It will be a responsible measure to say goodbye to you. The Taliban maybe will be there in some corners of your country, but they are not a real danger for Kandahar or Kabul. That, if you wish, is winning."

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNew...hub=TopStories
Reply With Quote