- BRUSSELS, Belgium (UPI) -
The Netherlands' top military chief has become the latest victim of the
political crisis engulfing the country following the resignation of the
entire Dutch government Tuesday.
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- Commander in Chief Lt. Gen. Ad van Baal handed in his
notice Wednesday after only a year in the job. A spokesman for the Dutch
army said though he accepted no personal blame for the massacre of 8,000
Bosnian Muslims in Srebrenica seven years ago, he chose to fall on his
sword "under pressure from politicians and public opinion."
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- Prime Minister Wim Kok's center-left government quit
en masse Tuesday following the publication of a damning report last week
that blamed the Dutch government and senior army officers for sending peacekeepers
to Bosnia on a "mission impossible."
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- In particular, the report from the Netherlands Institute
for War Documentation accused the armed forces of withholding vital information
from investigators to uphold the military's reputation. Van Baal was deputy
commander of the Dutch army at the time of the Srebrenica atrocity.
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- Dutch military experts say Van Baal was initially reluctant
to resign but was forced step down by outgoing Defense Minister Frank de
Grave. One source said that De Grave gave his top general two options:
quit or be fired.
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- "After the minister resigned, it was inevitable
that his chief of staff would follow," said the source.
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- The collapse of Kok's government has added further uncertainty
to the fate of an $800 million development contract the Netherlands is
due to sign to replace its fleet of F16 fighters. A decision on whether
to opt for the U.S. Joint Strike Fighter or the home-grown Eurofighter
was imminent but will now have to wait until the formation of a new government
after May 15 elections.
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- The Dutch Parliament is currently meeting to decide how
the functions of state will be carried out until the poll. It is expected
that members of Parliament will back Queen Beatrix's plea for Kok to carry
on in a caretaker capacity until a new prime minister is chosen.
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- Copyright © 2002 United Press International
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