If Holland participates in the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) for Sinai it will limit its contribution to medical or transport units consisting of from 50-100 men, Foreign Minister Max Van der Stoel and Defense Minister Hans Van Mierlo said here. They spoke to reporters after the two ministers attended a joint meeting of the Dutch Parliament’s foreign affairs and defense committees.
The committees raised no objections to participation in the force that will police Sinai after Israel completes its final withdrawal next April. But they insisted that the Dutch contingent be composed entirely of volunteers. This could pose difficulties because medical or transport units would consist largely of specialists.
Van der Stoel said another condition for Dutch participation is that the European Economic Community (EEC) approve the dispatch of such a force by member states. Under the EEC Charter, approval must be unanimous. In any event, Dutch participation would be for a period of nine months only.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
