THE HAGUE, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- The Dutch professional cycling teams, the Dutch Doping Authority and the national union KNWU presented a joint approach against doping on Monday.

"This is a historic agreement," said Herman Ram, director of the Dutch Doping Authority during a press conference in Nieuwegein. "To my knowledge, it has never occurred in the international sports world that the professional teams and the association made concrete agreements on tackling the doping problems."

The parties agreed that before April 1, 2013 all employees of the Dutch professional cycling teams Blanco Pro Cycling, Vacansoleil-DCM en Argos-Shimano will have filled in a signed statement and questionnaire truthfully, a so called "Declaration of good behavior".

All employees who admit doping violations which happened before April 1, 2008, will be suspended for only six months and fined with three months' salary less, but they can keep their jobs. Cyclists confessing doping crimes after January 1, 2008 will immediately be dismissed.

In addition, cyclists who have been suspended for at least six months in the past, will not be contracted again. New contract will included the statement that a doping situation will be followed by dismissal.

The Dutch Doping Authority wants to arrange a settlement with riders and other staff members who are ready to give full disclosure on possible doping violations from the past. A part of the sentence will then be cancelled. The purpose of this plan is to make cycling "credible" again and to give the sport an "honest image".

The sport of cycling suffered from doping revelations in recent years with the United States Anti Doping Agency (USADA) in October 2012 revealing a report of 1,000 pages on the structural use of doping in the former US Postal/Discovery cycling team, masterminded by Lance Armstrong. Following the report Dutch bank Rabobank decided to end its sponsorship of the Dutch Rabobank Cycling team.

Chairman Marcel Wintels of the Dutch Cycling Union KNWU hopes that the new joint Dutch initiative will be followed internationally. "With a common approach we can regain a lot of confidence and credibility, but that process will take many months, if not years to complete," he said.

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