Van der Berg’s disappointment ends in tears: promised asylum agreement

A tearful Secretary of State for Refugees, Eric van der Berg, is disappointed that there is no refugee agreement. He finds it particularly frustrating for everyone who has been working for months to find adequate hosting places for asylum seekers. “I had promised them an asylum agreement,” he said.

Van der Berg feels that “everything was pulled out” to reach a settlement agreement. He also made a proposal on Friday to bridge the divide between the four coalition parties. “But we are aware that this has not been achieved,” he said. Not reluctance, he stressed, “is a gap that cannot be filled.” Moreover, the Secretary of State was disappointed. “I regret that we were unable to reach an agreement.”

But van der Burg declined to comment on whether his VVD party leader Mark Rutte put unnecessary pressure on the negotiations. “I don’t get into party politics,” he said.