BRUSSELS -- The Netherlands has decided to extend its participation in the UN peacekeeping mission in Sudan by one year, Dutch media reported Saturday.

Sudan was expected to hold parliamentary and presidential elections later this year and the Netherlands will "continue to support UNMIS (the UN mission in Sudan) in this important phase of the peace process," the Dutch Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The Netherlands has contributed about 30 people, including observers and police officers, to the UN mission in Sudan since 2006.

The UNMIS was launched in 2005 to monitor implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed by North and South Sudan earlier that year.

The Dutch cabinet decided to extend the mission Friday "because peace and stability in North and South Sudan are crucial for the stability in other regions of the country and neighboring countries," the statement said.