Netherlands to Withdraw Troops From Iraq in March, Dagblad Says
Oct. 21 (Bloomberg) -- The Netherlands will pull its troops from Iraq in March after Dutch Defense Minister Henk Kamp turned down a request from the Iraqi government to extend their mandate there, Algemeen Dagblad said, citing Kamp.

Iraqi interim President Ayad Allawi asked Kamp to keep Dutch troops in the Southern province of Al Muthanna, where about 1,200 soldiers have been on a peace-keeping mission, after the end of the current mandate in mid-March, the paper said. Coalition troops also want Dutch soldiers to stay, it said.

The paper quoted Kamp as saying that the Dutch had already made a ``large effort'' in keeping its troops in Iraq for 20 months in March and wouldn't stay longer. It also cited Kamp as saying the security situation in Iraq had worsened since his previous visit to Baghdad last year and that he expected the U.S. to remain for ``years'' in Iraq.

(Algemeen Dagblad 10-21 2)