THE HAGUE, 27/03/08 - Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen has told the Lower House that the Dutch military contribution to the EUFOR mission in Chad will not last longer than to 15 March 2009. He thereby got the House to back the mission.

The Christian democratic (CDA) and small Christian (ChristenUnie) government parties had more or less demanded that the EUFOR mission should not last longer than one year. No debate on its extension must be allowed, in their view. Labour (PvdA), the third government party, did want the Netherlands to show willing to stay longer, if no other country were available to relieve it.

Verhagen (CDA) relieved the concerns of CDA and ChristenUnie by stating that the mission "runs until 15 March 2009, period." Equally, the marines will not stay on longer under the UN flag, he stressed.

Under EUFOR, 3,700 international troops are participating, and must begin operating in May. The Netherlands is making a modest contribution; around 60 marines will function as scouts for an Irish battalion, the cabinet recently decided.

The House will formally vote on the mission today. If it is approved, the Dutch will be operational on around 15 May for a period of 10 months. In March 2009, UN troops must take over their tasks.

In the dangerous border area, EUFOR must protect some 450,000 refugees and aid workers against attacks by armed groups. The cabinet terms the Dutch contribution modest but necessary in view of the disastrous humanitarian situation on the spot.

Verhagen tried to moderate the great concern of the entire House about the neutrality of EUFOR, which will be lead by France. This country is the former colonial ruler of Chad and also has permanent troops there to support the government. EUFOR however may not and will not get involved in the conflict between rebels and the government, according to the cabinet. It will take action in Paris if this neutrality were to be at risk.

The mission is primarily a wish of the PvdA, which wants to be active somewhere in Africa. The leftwing Greens (GroenLinks), normally virtually always opposed to foreign missions, are also warm supporters of this deployment for the same reason.

The Socialist Party (SP), conservatives (VVD), Party for Freedom (PVV) and small Christian party SGP are the most critical. They consider the mission is largely symbolic and also doubt promises on air support and on the treatment of possible prisoners.