THE HAGUE, 19/03/03 - The cabinet formation between the Christian democrats (CDA) and Labour (PvdA) will probably survive the Iraq issue. In an emergency debate, both parties barked at each other yesterday, but they are not expected to bite.

The CDA does not exclude the possibility of supporting a possible American request in the future for a military contribution to a war in Iraq, deputy party leader Verhagen stated in the Lower House yesterday. If such a request were to be made, the CDA will "consider this on its own merits," providing there is broad support for it in Dutch society and in parliament.

The caretaker cabinet decided after long talks on Monday evening to give political support but not military support to a war without a UN resolution. PvdA leader Wouter Bos said yesterday that both political and military support was unacceptable for a war without a UN mandate. "No soldiers and no materiel", as he put it.

Verhagen largely backed the position of the cabinet which his party forms with the conservatives (VVD) and the Pim Fortuyn List (LPF). He stated that the political support the government has expressed for the American/British intervention in Iraq must be supplemented by leaving the Patriot anti-missile systems in Turkey and by keeping Dutch ports, railways and airfields open for the Americans. The Netherlands must also be prepared to fill in gaps if American soldiers or equipment were to be withdrawn from peacekeeping missions in, for example, Bosnia, Kosovo or Afghanistan, according to Verhagen.

Bos declined to say whether he was rejecting the policy of CDA leader Jan Peter Balkenende's caretaker administration. If he does, this may well mean the end of the cabinet formation. But Bos had made it clear earlier yesterday that he did not intend to break up with CDA, by stating that the CDA standpoint satisfied his own party's demand that the Netherlands should not become actively involved in an attack on Iraq.

Conservative (VVD) party leader Gerrit Zalm called it hypocritical that the government had promised the US several weeks ago to consider additional military support if requested, while it now excludes the possibility of such support. Balkenende countered that no additional requests from the US had been received yet.

Defence Minister Henk Kamp (VVD) acknowledged that the cabinet "including the VVD ministers" had taken the coalition negotiations between CDA and PvdA into account in arriving at its compromise for political but no military support. Kamp said he considered it important that the next government can continue with the present policy.