<p>"Later today, I will offer to her majesty the Queen the resignations of the ministers and deputy ministers of the (Labour Party) PvdA," premier Jan Peter Balkenende told journalists in The Hague.<br /><br />He said he would also "make available" the portfolios of the remaining cabinet ministers of his own Christian Democratic Appeal, the majority coalition partner, as well as the smaller Christian Union.<br /><br />Balkenende made the announcement after more than 16 hours of crunch talks failed to save the centre-left coalition he has led since February 2007.<br /><br />Parliamentary elections, scheduled for March next year, will now have to be brought forward with polls predicting a dip for the CDA from 41 to 34 of the 150 seats and parliament, and for the PvdA from 33 to 20.<br /><br />"New elections will be held," deputy defence minister and CDA member Jack de Vries told reporters after Saturday's briefing.<br /><br />In the latest in a string of coalition rows, vice-premier Wouter Bos invoked the ire of his cabinet colleagues this week by stating that his PvdA would not support extending the Dutch deployment in Afghanistan beyond 2010. <br /><br />Balkenende insisted that the matter be thrashed out in cabinet, where it belonged, and the Christian Union (CU) chided the leftist leader for speaking out of turn.<br /><br />The public spat resulted in a snap parliamentary debate Thursday, during which Bos was accused of using the issue for political gain as polls show his party lagging in the run-up to March 3 municipal elections.<br /><br />The deployment of Dutch troops in Afghanistan was an unpopular move with voters from the outset.<br /><br />"As the leader of the cabinet, I came to the conclusion that there is no fruitful path for the CDA, PvdA and Christian Union to take into the future," Balkenende said Saturday -- lamenting a break in mutual trust.<br /><br />"For days we have seen that unity has been affected by ... statements that clash with recent cabinet decisions. These statements place a political mortgage on collegial deliberation."<br /><br />NATO head Anders Fogh Rasmussen had asked the Netherlands this month to take on a new training role and remain in Afghanistan until August 2011, a year later than originally planned.<br /><br />The request had required unanimous cabinet approval. De Vries said the future of the mission "depends on what the new government will decide".<br /><br />Bos, who sad said he hoped for new elections before the summer, said there was broad support in society and parliament for his party's stance on Afghanistan.</p>
<p>"Later today, I will offer to her majesty the Queen the resignations of the ministers and deputy ministers of the (Labour Party) PvdA," premier Jan Peter Balkenende told journalists in The Hague.<br /><br />He said he would also "make available" the portfolios of the remaining cabinet ministers of his own Christian Democratic Appeal, the majority coalition partner, as well as the smaller Christian Union.<br /><br />Balkenende made the announcement after more than 16 hours of crunch talks failed to save the centre-left coalition he has led since February 2007.<br /><br />Parliamentary elections, scheduled for March next year, will now have to be brought forward with polls predicting a dip for the CDA from 41 to 34 of the 150 seats and parliament, and for the PvdA from 33 to 20.<br /><br />"New elections will be held," deputy defence minister and CDA member Jack de Vries told reporters after Saturday's briefing.<br /><br />In the latest in a string of coalition rows, vice-premier Wouter Bos invoked the ire of his cabinet colleagues this week by stating that his PvdA would not support extending the Dutch deployment in Afghanistan beyond 2010. <br /><br />Balkenende insisted that the matter be thrashed out in cabinet, where it belonged, and the Christian Union (CU) chided the leftist leader for speaking out of turn.<br /><br />The public spat resulted in a snap parliamentary debate Thursday, during which Bos was accused of using the issue for political gain as polls show his party lagging in the run-up to March 3 municipal elections.<br /><br />The deployment of Dutch troops in Afghanistan was an unpopular move with voters from the outset.<br /><br />"As the leader of the cabinet, I came to the conclusion that there is no fruitful path for the CDA, PvdA and Christian Union to take into the future," Balkenende said Saturday -- lamenting a break in mutual trust.<br /><br />"For days we have seen that unity has been affected by ... statements that clash with recent cabinet decisions. These statements place a political mortgage on collegial deliberation."<br /><br />NATO head Anders Fogh Rasmussen had asked the Netherlands this month to take on a new training role and remain in Afghanistan until August 2011, a year later than originally planned.<br /><br />The request had required unanimous cabinet approval. De Vries said the future of the mission "depends on what the new government will decide".<br /><br />Bos, who sad said he hoped for new elections before the summer, said there was broad support in society and parliament for his party's stance on Afghanistan.</p>