Dutch FM criticizes Bush's new Iraq plan

Dutch Foreign Minister Ben Bot on Friday strongly criticized U.S. President George W. Bush's new strategy for Iraq, saying that extra troops would lead nowhere.

"Just sending an extra 20,000 troops to Iraq is what we've been doing for years. It never got any results," Bot told the Dutch ANP news agency after a cabinet meeting on Friday.

Bot said he missed any proposals from the U.S. president to involve Iraq's neighbors in a plan to stabilize the region. The foreign minister stressed that the Netherlands would keep in contact with countries like Syria and Lebanon.

The Netherlands sent about 1,400 troops to southern Iraq after the 2003 invasion. But the move was highly unpopular at home and the soldiers were withdrawn in 2005.

Source: Xinhua