The Dutch parliament will discuss and possibly vote on Feb. 2 on a government decision to send 1,200 more troops to Afghanistan, the chamber's foreign affairs committee said on Tuesday, according to Reuters. The Dutch contribution is key to NATO's aim of extending its presence to the volatile south of Afghanistan in the first half of this year, but the plan is opposed by several smaller parties in the Netherlands, including part of the centrist D66 party, the smallest partner in the governing coalition. On Dec. 22, the cabinet said it wanted Dutch troops to take part in the mission -- along with soldiers from Britain and Canada -- but said it wanted parliament to make the final decision, seen as a way of avoiding a rift with the D66. "We will have a meeting with the ministers of foreign affairs, defence and development cooperation, followed by a plenary debate on Feb. 2," said Theo van Toor, deputy registrar for the parliamentary committee on foreign affairs. "If a resolution is submitted by the time, parliament can vote on Feb. 2 but it is not sure yet," he said.
