THE HAGUE (ANP/NIS) - Former Defence Minister Joris Voorhoeve has denied any cover-up of misbehaviour of Dutch UN troops in Srebrenica. He rejected claims of the leader of an investigation team of the Royal Military Police (Marechausse) that his Department was involved. Meanwhile, Voorhoeve’s successor, Defence Minister Frank de Grave announced a new inquiry, that was to be led by another former Defence Minister, Job de Ruiter, who, after much turmoil, refused the job, however.

Voorhoeve said yesterday he was shocked about Tuesday night’s finger pointing in the television program NOVA, that he had tried to hide the truth. During the broadcast, Captain P. Rutten of the Royal Military Police’s investigation team at the time disclosed roughly the content of an account included in the so-called management report. The Royal Military Police is under the jurisdiction of the Justice Ministry, not under Defence.

The paper contained testimonies of 460 Dutchbat troops implying that the battalion superiors were unable to cope with the situation in Srebrenica, and did not resist Serb commander Mladic separating men from women and children. The men were later taken away and many of them are presumably killed.

According to Voorhoeve, he was informed of the events in August 1995 by general Fabius of the Royal Military Police, only by telephone, receiving the management report two full years later. This fact was not mentioned in the broadcast.

The investigation new Defence Minister De Grave is planning should remove all distrust around his department. He wants to know if members of the defence organisation, irrespective their position, might have blocked or manipulated the destruction of photographic films shot in Srebrenica, or have had a hand in the disappearance of a diary with notes on misbehaviour of Dutch UN soldiers in Angola.

Many negative reactions followed De Grave’s mentioning of the name of former Defence Minister De Ruiter who would lead the investigation, because De Ruiter was the supervisor of the very 1995 Dutchbat debriefing paper. The Centre-left D66 party now wants Defence to make all investigation reports on Dutchbat’s conduct available to the Lower House.

Spokesman J. Wassink of the Royal Military Police association called it "of course strange to let somebody investigate a report for which he is responsible himself." Also, to the VBM/NOV union of military personnel, De Ruiter was "unacceptable". Late yesterday’s afternoon, De Ruiter refused the job for reason that his agenda was full.

In the meantime, radio reports mentioned that Richard Goldstone, a former prosecutor of the he UN Tribunal in The Hague, could not recall having confirmed to Voorhoeve that the Dutch soldiers did not commit any war crimes in former Yugoslavia. This led the Ministry of Defence to disclose Goldstone’s letter, dated 16 October 1995. In this document, Goldstone wrote unequivocal that his investigators have not found any indication that any Dutchbat member had been involved in war crimes in Srebrenica.