Government falls as union demands resignation of army leaders

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In April 2002, the Dutch government resigned after the publication of research into the events around the fall of the Bosnian enclave of Srebrenica, which was under the protection of Dutch peacekeepers, in 1995. Trade unions representing military personnel have called for the resignation of the army leadership at the time and for a parliamentary inquiry, which has now been launched.

In mid-April 2002, the government led by Prime Minister Wim Kok resigned following publication of the findings of research by the Dutch Institute for War Documentation (Nederland Instituut voor Oorlogsdocumentatie, NIOD) into the events surrounding the fall in 1995 of the Bosnian Muslim enclave of Srebrenica, which was being protected by Dutch peacekeeping troops, and the subsequent massacre of inhabitants. The government was a coalition of the social democratic Labour Party (Partij van de Arbeid, PvdA), the liberal Party for Freedom and Democracy (Vereniging voor Vrijheid en Democratie, VVD) and the social liberal Democraten 66 (D66).

Mr Kok had been Prime Minister at the time of the events in Srebrenica and, accepting responsibility for the consequences, resigned along with the rest of the cabinet, several of whom had also been in government at the time. A general election was already due to be held in May 2002, and until then the current government will remain in place in a caretaker capacity.

Although the cabinet's resignation stems from a will to accept political accountability, the report into the Srebrenica affair found that, while the ministers and secretaries of state were indeed responsible at a political level, the leadership of the army withheld relevant information from them with respect to Srebrenica. Consequently, the General Federation of Military Staff (Algemene Federatie van Militair Personeel, AFMP), the trade union for military personnel affiliated to the Dutch Trade Union Federation (Federatie Nederlandse Vakbeweging, FNV), is demanding that the army leadership responsible at the time should resign. The AFMP chair, Ton Heerts, is calling for the public prosecutor to investigate if the former commanding officer, Hans Couzy and the rest of the army leadership can be held liable under criminal law for the events that unfolded in Srebrenica in 1995.

According to the NIOD report, the truth about the Srebrenica situation was knowingly withheld by army officers. A deliberate attempt was made to restrict the amount of information disclosed and, where possible, to sweep aside disagreeable subjects. Commanding officer Couzy, the report states, destroyed his personal archives, despite knowing how important the information was at the time and would be later. According to the AFMP union, the deliberate actions of the former army leadership have tarnished the image of Dutchbat, the Dutch military contingent in Bosnia.

ACOM, the military services union affiliated to the Christian Trade Union Federation (Christelijk Nationaal Vakverbond, CNV), also believes that the conclusions of the NIOD report should have consequences for the military leadership. Their actions, ACOM claims, have left Dutchbat saddled with the blame, even though the lower-level military personnel cannot be accused of any wrongdoing. Dutchbat must be cleared of all blame.

The parliamentary inquiry demanded by the unions and deemed desirable by politicians has now been initiated by the latter, and a number of high-ranking military officers involved at the time have either resigned or been dismissed.