The cabinet still wants to send a government official to Qatar for the World Cup, while a majority in the House of Representatives opposes it. The government believes oil-state Qatar is too important an interlocutor in the current energy crisis to stay away, NOS sources say.

It is not yet known which minister will travel to the World Cup in more than five weeks, Foreign Minister Hoekstra will announce that next week. The cabinet discussed the sensitive issue at length in the Council of Ministers today, but afterwards no minister wanted to comment on the result. “This requires careful thought,” said Hoekstra.

exploited

The political sensitivity lies in human rights, which are not respected in the country. According to a study published in The Guardian, at least 6,000 migrant workers have died building football stadiums and many workers have been exploited.

More than a year and a half ago, in February 2021, a majority of the House of Representatives – including the ruling parties D66 and ChristenUnie – passed a motion that stipulated that no government delegate should go to the World Cup for violations of human rights: So no prime minister, king or Minister. .

Key role in evacuations

But the situation in world politics has changed considerably in the meantime, as is now being emphasized in the cabinet. There is a shortage of energy and Qatar is a major exporter of liquefied natural gas.

In addition, the country helped the Netherlands evacuate Dutch people from Afghanistan when the Taliban took power there last summer. Qatar still plays a key role in these evacuations. In addition, most countries send representatives at government level, and the Netherlands would be pretty much alone with a boycott.

The cabinet has been hesitant to make a decision for weeks. However, when asked, several ministers indicated that the wishes of the House would be taken into account differently. D66 Climate Minister Jetten voted in favor of the application in question at the time, but said after the cabinet meeting: “Qatar has recently played an important role in Afghanistan, for example, and is an important energy supplier for Europe. “

Conversation with Qatar

And Prime Minister Rutte recently emphasized in a debate that the cabinet assumes that talks with Qatar will have a positive effect on working conditions. He also said that the Netherlands does not want to stand alone in a boycott. “We need Qatar, both for Afghanistan and as an energy supplier.”

Hoekstra recently stressed that it would be wiser for the Netherlands to “enter into a dialogue” about improving working conditions.

It is still unclear how the House of Representatives and in particular the two governing parties D66 and ChristenUnie will react to the decision. D66 MP Sjoerdsma has repeatedly stressed the importance of human rights recently. He assumes that the House of Representatives’ application will simply be carried out.