THE HAGUE (ANP/NIS) Friday - The leftist Green (GroenLinks) party said yesterday that time has come for a parliamentary inquiry into the conduct of the Dutch UN battalion in Srebrenica, and the role the Defence Ministry played in the episode’s aftermath.

The ruling labour (PvdA) and conservative (VVD) parties prefer to wait for the conclusions of an investigation to be set up by the Defence Ministry. Minister de Grave still has to find somebody to chair this board as his predecessor Job de Ruiter has declined the task.

The Christian Democratic CDA party yesterday condemned especially the attitude of the PvdA, which initially supported Lower House actions. The VVD never liked the idea. CDA favours a parliamentary probe, which is less time-consuming than the parliamentary inquiry wanted by GroenLinks but has less impact because witnesses cannot be administered legal oaths.

In the meantime, a joint statement of the Public Prosecutors Office (OM) and the ministries of Defence and Justice, made it clear that the OM was already in 1995 orally informed of allegations made by five Dutchbat troops. However, the prosecuting attorney at the time judged the available evidence insufficient for bringing the case to Court.

The joint statement unburdened former VVD Defence Minister Joris Voorhoeve, who was reproached on Tuesday that he had covered-up the soldiers’ allegations, and ignored the strong request of the Royal Military Police (Marechaussee) to start a criminal investigation. But according to the OM, examination of also the extensive report on the claims did not change its opinion that there simply was not enough proof for any legal action.

The society CNV of the Royal Military Police is nevertheless not convinced and still wants a criminal investigation on the behaviour of the Dutch soldiers in Srebrenica. According to a spokesman for CNV, the new study should be carried out by the Royal Military Police themselves, if possible in collaboration with the Rijksrecherche, the national detective force.

The society deplores primarily the Defence Ministry’s decision not to allow Marechaussee officers to act as investigators during the 1995 debriefing of the Dutchbat soldiers. The Royal Military Police is under the jurisdiction of the Justice Ministry, not under Defence. The CNV spokesman called the decision one of the main reasons that events in Srebrenica were never adequately investigated.

The Royal Military Police society deems it inevitable that the Lower House start a parliamentary probe on the affair, especially because the supposed involvement of Cabinet Ministers.