But left-wing opposition parties, including the powerful Labor party, are opposed to Dutch forces remaining in Iraq and the D66 has said it would consider voting against an extension."Our initial enthusiasm to participate in all this has been reduced in the last few weeks and months," said Bert Bakker, foreign affairs spokesman for D66.
But the D66 said it did not expect the issue to threaten the coalition. Even without its support, the government is expected to win a narrow majority in parliament if it proposes an extension.
"There will be a majority for saying 'yes'," a foreign ministry spokesman said, adding that Foreign Minister Bernard Bot supported extending the Dutch mandate in Iraq by eight months.