Investigation into support for Syrian opposition confirms: parliament was lied to
Investigation into support for Syrian opposition confirms: parliament was lied to
'The investigation into Dutch support for the Syrian opposition underlines what the SP and various media have previously stated, parliament was lied to', says SP MP Jasper van Dijk. This is the conclusion of the investigative report of the Cammaert Committee. The government was not honest about the aid programme, which did indeed violate international law and the principle of non-intervention: 'Some elements of the support contravene the prohibition on violence to a limited degree.'
In 2015, support for the Syrian opposition was sold as a "civilian programme" in aid of the moderate Syrian opposition. In reality, the government was not sufficiently informed to be able to make such firm statements. The committee has now confirmed that the ministry wanted to create the impression of oversight when in reality there was none. The public prosecutor had previously established that the Netherlands had supplied pick-up trucks to a terrorist group. As such, the committee judges that the government was 'unrealistic' and took 'great risks'.
For the umpteenth time, it appears that the government has provided incomplete and inaccurate information to parliament. The SP therefore wants a debate with the minister, Wopke Hoekstra: 'The results of the investigation are clear, so the least Hoekstra can do is apologise. If the government had honestly informed parliament, this aid programme would never have come about.'