International

SP Members of Parliament Harry van Bommel, party spokesman on foreign affairs, and Krista van Velzen, spokeswoman on defence issues, are anxious to know whether Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen and Defence Minister Eimert van Middelkoop are prepared to distance themselves explicitly from remarks by American General Jack Sheehan. Sheehan asserted in the US Senate that the fall of Srebrenica was brought about in part by the presence of homosexuals in the Dutch army, which was charged with defending the Bosnian town, at the time supposedly a 'safe enclave'.

"Van Middelkoop and Verhagen must make formal contact with the US Senate and counter these idiotic remarks," says Van Bommel. "Sheehan has brought the Dutch armed forces into discredit, not to mention the stigma he attaches to homosexuals."
According to Van Bommel, the declaration that Van Middelkoop has already made is a start, but it isn't enough. "A declaration on the ministry's website is fine for Dutch people, but it won't reach the US Senate. These statements from Sheehan must be declared to be unacceptable, and through formal channels."