AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende’s coalition government collapsed yesterday when the two largest parties failed to agree on whether to withdraw troops from Afghanistan this year as planned.
The fall of the government in the EU country, just two days short of the coalition’s third anniversary, all but guarantees that the 2,000 Dutch troops will be brought home this year.
That would be the first major a crack in the coalition of some 40 nations battling a steadily increasing Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan.
The collapse, the fourth for a cabinet led by Balkenende in eight years, throws into doubt the scope and timing of planned budget cuts for next year as well.
“I unfortunately note that there is no longer a fruitful path for the Christian Democrats, Labour Party and Christian Union to go forward,” Balkenende, who leads the centre-right Christian Democrats, told reporters.
It followed more than 15 hours of talks and acrimonious exchanges throughout the week. Balkenende officially offered Queen Beatrix the resignations of the Labour ministers yesterday morning, and she summoned the fallen cabinet’s leaders and other state officials to the royal palace on Monday.
Balkenende wanted to extend the Dutch deployment in Afghanistan past an August deadline, but Deputy Prime Minister Wouter Bos’s Labour Party opposed any extension.
NATO had asked the Netherlands, among the top 10 contributing nations to the mission, to investigate the possibility of a longer stay.
NATO spokesman James Appathurai said NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen respected the Dutch discussion.
“The Secretary General continues to believe that the best way forward for the mission would be a new smaller Dutch mission to consolidate the progress that the Dutch have made until now, and to help the process of transition to Afghan lead,” he said.
Parliamentary elections could be held mid-year at the earliest, but would probably be followed by months of talks between parties to form a coalition government.