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Afghanistan

Dutch become 1st NATO member to quit Afghanistan

2010-08-02

KABUL, Afghanistan - The Netherlands became the first NATO country to end its combat mission in Afghanistan, drawing the curtain Sunday on a four-year operation that was deeply unpopular at home and even brought down a Dutch government. The departure of the small force of nearly 1,900 Dutch troops is not expected to affect conditions on the ground. But it is politically significant because it comes at a time of rising casualties and growing doubts about the war in NATO capitals, even as allied troops are beginning what could be the decisive campaign of the war. Canada has announced it will withdraw its 2,700 troops in 2011 and Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski has promised to pull out his country’s 2,600 soldiers the year after. That is likely to put pressure on other European governments such as Germany and Britain to scale back their forces, adding to the burden shouldered by the United States, which expects to have 100,000 troops here by the end of next month. If NATO doesn't want to be there, fine. But we'll need to draw forces from somewhere to make up for it. I suggest our remaining forces in Europe should be drawn down even further. We can keep the hospitals and airfields in Germany and the naval bases in Italy, but eventually Europe has to defend itself. If they don't want to do it in Afghanistan they can do it at home. I don't say this in anger: the Euros helped out in Afghanistan, and we should acknowledge that. But there's still work to be done there, and if the Euros can't help us any more, then they have to pick up the slack elsewhere. Iraq is done. There's no large scale fighting elsewhere. The Euros don't have enough of a combined navy to do anything off Somalia. So they can defend the home front and we'll pull our forces. Seems like the best we can do for now. The Dutch departure was sealed after Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende’s government collapsed earlier this year over disagreement among coalition members on whether to keep troops in Afghanistan longer. His Christian Democrat party suffered heavy losses at parliamentary elections in June. Twenty-four Dutch soldiers have died in Afghanistan since the mission began in 2006. Most of the Dutch soldiers were based in the central province of Uruzgan, where they will be replaced by soldiers from the U.S., Australia, Slovakia and Singapore. The Dutch pioneered a strategy they called “3D” — defense, diplomacy and development — that involved fighting the Taliban while at the same time building close contacts with local tribal elders and setting up numerous development projects. Dutch troops, some of them riding bicycles, mingled closely with the local population and often did not wear helmets while walking around towns and villages as a way of winning the trust of wary local tribes. “The international community and NATO are helping Afghanistan to stand on its own legs so the country can defend itself against extremists who want to use it as a breeding ground for global terrorism,” Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen said in a message to Dutch troops. NATO spokesman Brig. Gen. Josef Blotz played down the significance of the Dutch move, saying it did not signal a weakening of coalition resolve. “The overall force posture of (NATO) and of the Afghan security forces is increasing,” Blotz told reporters. He noted the surge of mostly U.S. forces that have recently taken control of key areas in Helmand and Kandahar provinces from British and Canadian forces.

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International-UN-NGOs

EU threatens boycott of 'Durban II'

2009-03-17

The European Union said Monday it could boycott a UN conference on racism next month unless Muslim nations end attempts to strongly criticize Israel in the meeting's final document. Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, whose country holds the EU presidency, said EU nations were "very skeptical" over the direction of negotiations on a declaration being drafted for the so-called Durban II conference. He adds the 27-nation bloc will attempt to push for changes but "there is a strong call to withdraw" if they are not successful. Italy's Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said his country would not attend the April 20-25 meeting in Geneva unless "radical changes" were made to the draft text, which includes what he has called "aggressive and anti-Semitic statements." United States, Canada and Israel have also said they fear the UN talks will be marred by attempts to attack Israel and shield Islamic countries from criticism over their records. Washington has imposed conditions similar to EU nations' and Israel and Canada have already announced they will boycott. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier warned the Geneva meeting "might be abused to produce one-sided statements" about the Middle East peace process and European and American policy in the Muslim and Arab world. "I am in favor of canceling participation in the conference, unless the documents are changed substantially within the next hours and days," said Steinmeier. Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen said a draft backed by the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference "limits itself to Israel-bashing, anti-Semitism, limiting freedom of speech and other dubious texts." The Islamic group of countries, many angry over cartoons and films attacking Muslims, has been campaigning for wording that would equate criticism of a religious faith with a violation of human rights. They were also pushing to equate Zionism with racism and banning the possibility of anyone to change his or her religion, Verhagen said. The Geneva talks are meant to review progress in fighting racism since the previous summit in South Africa. That meeting was marred by harsh criticism of Israel and anti-Israel demonstrations at a parallel conference of non-governmental organizations.

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International-UN-NGOs

EU countries worried about Durban II

2009-03-04

The Netherlands and France have sharply chastised the UN for singling out Israel in the preparatory text for its upcoming "Durban II" anti-racism conference, but said they are not yet ready to boycott the event. "I am deeply disturbed by the turn this event is taking," Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen said on Tuesday in a speech before the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. "The way in which the preparatory process for this conference has been proceeding suggests that it is unlikely to be a useful exercise." But they're still going, at least so far ... The previous night, in an address to a large dinner hosted by the Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions (CRIF) in Paris, French Prime Minister Francois Filion warned that his country would withdraw if changes were not made to the draft text with regard to Israel. On Friday, the US became the third country after Canada and Israel to announce it will not attend the April 20-24 event in Geneva, which is a follow-up conference to the 2001 UN World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance that met in Durban, South Africa.

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International-UN-NGOs

Coalition asks UN to decriminalize homosexuality

2008-12-20

Sixty-six countries Thursday called on the United Nations to urge members to decriminalize homosexuality, a position rejected by several Arab countries and the Vatican. A declaration of the rights of gays was submitted to the U.N. General Assembly for the first time by the ambassador of Argentina, Jorge Arguello, representing 66 of the world body's 192 countries. "We urge states to take all the necessary measures, in particular legislative or administrative, to ensure that sexual orientation or gender identity may under no circumstances be the basis for criminal penalties, in particular executions, arrests or detention," the draft document says. The appeal is based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states in Article One that "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights." The document reaffirms "that everyone is entitled to the enjoyment of human rights without distinction of any kind, such as race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status." The 66 countries that signed the document "are deeply concerned by violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms based on sexual orientation or gender identity," it said. In addition, they are "disturbed that violence, harassment, discrimination, exclusion, stigmatization and prejudice are directed against persons in all countries in the world because of sexual orientation or gender identity." The signatories "condemn the human rights violations based on sexual orientation or gender identity wherever they occur," especially "the use of the death penalty on this ground" as well as their "arbitrary arrest or detention and deprivation of economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to health." After the draft was read, Netherlands Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen and French Human Rights Minister Rama Yade held a high-level meeting to support the resolution.

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Europe

Dutch FM protests Moroccan espionage attempt

2008-09-19

The Dutch foreign minister protested Thursday against an alleged Moroccan espionage attempt and announced that two Moroccan diplomats had been recalled from The Hague over the matter. "It is a vile matter when foreign security services try to gather secret information about the police in the Netherlands," Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen told MPs in a parliamentary budget debate, according to his spokesman Bart Rijs. "Arising from this matter, explanations were sought from Morocco, and consequently two diplomats were recalled by the Moroccan government," he added. Rijs declined to reveal the names or level of seniority of the envoys, who left The Hague a few months ago. Media reports that a Dutch policeman of Moroccan descent was dismissed in July on suspicion of being a spy also triggered heated debate in the House of Representatives Thursday. Dutch television reported Monday that the 38-year-old brigadier had transmitted confidential information to Moroccan secret services. A Rotterdam police spokeswoman declined to confirm these claims against the brigadier, saying only he was dismissed "for serious dereliction of duty." The Rotterdam prosecution service said Wednesday it had launched a preliminary probe based on information recently acquired from the Dutch intelligence service AIVD. MPs will continue debating the topic next Tuesday, before which "the government will report in a letter to parliament on this issue as well as reports that Morocco has tried to recruit other Dutch citizens of Moroccan descent or those with passports of both countries," Rijs said. Former MP Fouad El-Haji, now a Rotterdam municipal councilor, told Dutch television on Wednesday that he too had been approached by Moroccan secret services. He said he refused the advances, but accused a former colleague of having collaborated in the affair.

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Africa Horn

Dutch frigate sent to Somalia coast

2008-04-03

The Dutch Parliament has approved the deployment of the Dutch naval frigate Evertsen to the waters off the coast of Somalia. The vessel, which will remain in the region for three months, will protect ships carrying United Nations food supplies. The ships are often plundered by pirates. As a result of the fighting in Somalia two million people there are dependent on food aid. The frigate will also pick up Somali refugees attempting to flee the country by sea. Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen announced that the refugees would not be able to apply for asylum in the Netherlands.

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Afghanistan

Netherlands, Slovakia call for flexible troops deployment in Afghanistan

2008-03-15

(Xinhua) -- NATO's deployment in Afghanistan should be more flexible, the Dutch and Slovakian foreign ministers said Thursday. The two officials called for an end to the current deployment arrangement which confines member states to one operation region. Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen and his Slovakian counterpart Jan Kubis said this would help change the current situation where only a handful of countries operate in the most dangerous regions of Afghanistan, according to the NRC Handelsblad newspaper published Thursday in the Netherlands. The two ministers believe that the present method, where the country is divided into five regional commands, should be abandoned, and that commanders on the ground should be able to deploy troops anywhere in the country "on their own authority." At present, the 42 countries taking part in the 43,000-strong NATO-led force in Afghanistan are stationed in five distinct regions. The Netherlands, Britain, Australia and Canada are deployed in the more volatile south of the country, while other countries such as Germany refuse to station their troops in such dangerous areas because they see their mission as mainly a reconstruction one. The two ministers said, "In the next two to three years, while Afghanistan's own security forces gain in strength, we will have to let go of our own 'adopted' provinces and focus on the country as a whole." Leaders of NATO member states will meet in Bucharest in April to discuss military strategy. Verhagen said he will put this matter on the agenda. A couple of weeks ago, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates criticized the NATO countries that have refused to provide troops in the south where the fighting against the Taliban is at its heaviest.

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Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Abbas, Livni say talks must go on

2008-01-24

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday rejected calls to halt peace talks despite the crisis in the Gaza Strip, and criticized Hamas for firing rockets at Negev communities. "Negotiations and contacts with Israel must continue," Abbas told reporters in Ramallah. "We must even step up these negotiations and contacts to end the suffering of our people." Abbas, who was speaking at a joint press conference with Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen, said halting negotiations wouldn't help the Palestinians.

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Afghanistan

Dutch troops to quit Afghanistan in 2010

2007-12-20

The Netherlands announced Tuesday that Dutch troops would leave Afghanistan from July 2010, though it remained uncertain whether other nations would send enough soldiers to replace them. “I do not have assurances that other countries will be ready to replace Netherlands troops, but I am certain that Dutch troops will leave in 2010,” Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen told journalists. “I indicated that in writing ... to the NATO secretary general, who has confirmed it. The Netherlands government decided last month to prolong its Afghanistan deployment by two years to December 2010 and the parliament approved the measure late on Tuesday. Dutch troops are stationed in the southern province of Uruzgan as part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). Some 1,600 Dutch soldiers have been stationed in Uruzgan since July 2006. The mission, which was initially set to end after two years, is set to be reduced to between 1,100 and 1,200 soldiers in that region, with 250 troops in Kabul and Kandahar. I suppose we'll have to replace them with our own. Perhaps from the troops we currently have in Y'urp. Internal politics: “The power struggles involving interior politics will not have changed in three years ... so we will leave responsibility for the situation to NATO,” the minister said. The Netherlands had hoped to receive reinforcements from other NATO countries to allow it to further reduce the number of troops in its deployment. The country has lost 12 soldiers since deploying as part of the ISAF mission.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Netherlands to host Hariri tribunal

2007-08-17

The Netherlands plans to host the international court that will try suspects in the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen told Dutch public Radio 1 Thursday. Hariri and 22 other people were killed in a massive truck bombing in Beirut in February 2005. "We will react positively" to the request of UN chief Ban Ki-moon to have the tribunal in The Hague, Verhagen said. "I am working under the premise that the tribunal will be in The Hague. Obviously we have to sort out some practical matters first like financing and where possible convicts will go to serve their sentences," the minister explained. "I think it will work out," he added. The United Nations secretary general wrote to Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende last month asking the Netherlands to host the Hariri tribunal. Balkenende will send Ban his positive response "very soon," Verhagen said. The tribunal will also have jurisdiction over this and other attacks against anti-Syrian Lebanese figures carried out between October 2004 and December 2005 if they are linked to the Hariri slaying. The Hague bills itself as the legal capital of the world ... It's always good to have brand identity, I suppose ... and is already host to several international tribunals like the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and the International Criminal Court. The Special Court for Sierra Leone, which has its headquarters in Freetown, has also moved the trial of former Liberian president Charles Taylor to The Hague. At this rate Carla del Ponte will have work for the rest of her life. And beyond.

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Europe

Haniyeh to telecommute to Rotterdam Paleofest

2007-05-05

'Cos Hamas can't get a visa... Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh will be addressing a conference in Rotterdam via satellite connection on Saturday. The Hamas politician had been invited to attend the Palestinian European Conference but Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen decided not to grant him a visa because Hamas is regarded as a terrorist organisation by the EU. The Palestinian Platform for Human Rights and Solidarity announced on Friday that Haniyeh would be addressing the meeting via satellite. The Platform is organising the conference on the fate of Palestinian refugees. The gathering will be held at the Doelen conference centre in Rotterdam. The organisation says that former Prime Minister Dries van Agt will also attend. The foreign ministry reported on Thursday that Grand Mufti of Jerusalem Ikrima Sabri has decided not to attend the conference. He apparently withdrew his application for a visa. MP for the Freedom Party PVV Geert Wilders had asked Minister Verhagen to refuse Sabri admittance to the Netherlands as well. Wilders says the Muslim cleric supports suicide attacks on Jews.

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Europe

Dutch dither on visa for Haniyeh

2007-04-17

Coalition parties Christian democrat CDA, ChristenUnie and Labour PvdA are divided on whether Palestinian prime minister and Hamas party member Ismail Haniyeh should be granted a visa to attend a gathering in the Netherlands. CDA and ChristenUnie do not think he should be issued permission to enter the country. The PvdA thinks he should be granted permission to come to address the gathering as prime minister, but not as a private individual, MP Martijn van Dam said on Monday. Haniyeh has been invited to Rotterdam for the Palestinian-European conference on the fate of Palestinian refugees planned for 5 May. He has not applied for a visa yet, but if he should do so then the Netherlands plans to refuse his application, Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen said on Saturday. Hamas is on the European list of terrorist organisations. The Palestinian government does not recognise the state of Israel and refuses to denounce violence against Israel. This is why Verhagen wants only to hold talks with individual members of the Palestinian government who do satisfy these requirements, so as to support the moderate tendencies in the regime. Update: they're not dithering now -- The Dutch government on Monday ruled out a visit by Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, saying he will not get a visa because the European Union considers his Hamas party a terrorist group. Hey look! A spine! Where'd they find that in Y'urp? Haniyeh's office contacted the Dutch government to enquire about documents needed to request a visa as the Palestinian premier wanted to attend a conference on the Palestinians and Europe in Rotterdam on May 5, a spokesman for the Dutch Foreign Ministry said. "He will not be granted a visa, should he request one officially," the spokesman said. "Hamas is considered a terrorist organisation by the European Union." Thank goodness someone in Europe thinks that. "It is consistent not only to avoid contact with Hamas ministers but also not to let them come to the Netherlands or anywhere else in Europe and spread the message of Hamas," he added. The European Union has a policy of avoiding contacts with Hamas ministers. Sorta. Kinda. They'd like to talk, really, except they're afraid of the backlash.

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