Dutch to investigate own support for Iraq invasion

AMSTERDAM, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende ordered on Monday an independent commission to examine the government's decision to support the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

The Netherlands did not send troops into Iraq but supported the U.S. push to invade Iraq because of the threat of weapons of mass destruction, which was later found to be unjustified.

Dutch critics of the war say the government put the country, which is hosts several international courts, at legal risk.

Balkenende, whose coalition government had long resisted opposition calls to hold an investigation, told a news conference that questions over the issue were a distraction from more immediate concerns, such as the state of the economy.

The commission, headed by former chief of the Dutch Supreme Court Willibrord Davids, will investigate whether the government heeded findings from its own lawyers over the legality of the invasion.

The commission is due to release its report in November.

Balkenende's government is currently facing questions over whether to extend its deployment of troops in Afghanistan past 2010. (Reporting by Reed Stevenson)