Dutch inquiry report delayed

Report into Iraq war support delayed

Wednesday 02 September 2009

A major parliamentary report into the Netherlands' support for the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 will not be completed by its November 1 deadline, the Volkskrant reports on Wednesday.

The chairman of the committee Willibrord Davis has told the prime minister and leaders of the two houses of parliaments the mountain of information gathered so far will not be processed and assessed in time. No new date has been set.

The Netherlands gave political but not military support to the invasion, a decision largely based on claims that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. Those claims later turned out to be false.

Pressure mounted on the government to hold a formal parliamentary inquiry into Iraq earlier this year after a string of revelations - particularly about security service failings. Prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende eventually agreed to set up a commission to investigate events instead.

http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/
2009/09/report_into_iraq_war_support_d.php