The Dutch Minister of Defence says he hopes to use his current visit to Australia to brief Howard Government ministers on preparations for a Dutch-led reconstruction mission to Afghanistan in August.
Australia will be sending 200 defence personnel to Afghanistan as part of the 1400-strong mission which is expected to remain in the country for two years.
The Netherlands Defence Minister Henk Kamp says he will be meeting the Foreign Minister Alexander Downer and the Defence Minister Brendan Nelson next week to discuss planning for the mission.
And Mr Kamp says Australia's contribution will be critical to assisting Afghanistan in its efforts to embrace democracy and combat terrorism.
"Uptil now, I can say that the co-operation between the Dutch armed forces and the Australian armed forces has been excellent. What we're doing there is a fight against terrorism because Afghanistan was a safe haven for Al Qaeda because of their relationship with the Taliban. So fighting against the Taliban and Al Qaeda makes Afghanistan more of a safer place, but also the world a more safe place".