He told parliament that while the Hague government was standing by the March 15 date, he would not rule out that "unforeseen circumstances" would lead it to reopen the discussion with parliament as to whether to prolong the stay.

Defence Minister Henk Kamp also hinted at prolonging the length of the Dutch mission during a recent visit to his country's troops in Iraq.

The some 1,300 Dutch troops are serving under British command in southern Iraq.