DUTCH THOUGHTS ON UNFICYP MANDATE REVIEW, OIL FOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L THE HAGUE 001673 SIPDIS STATE FOR IO, SCC WESTON, EUR, EUR/UBI E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/05/2010 TAGS: PREL MARR KPKO ETTC IZ CY UK NL UNSC SUBJECT: DUTCH THOUGHTS ON UNFICYP MANDATE REVIEW, OIL FOR FOOD RENEWAL REF: A. SECSTATE 103854 ¶B. SECSTATE 105600 CLASSIFIED BY POLCOUNS STEPHEN R. KELLY; REASONS 1.5 (B,D). BACK UNFICYP EXTENSION, DUTCH TROOPS LEAVING IN 2001 -------------- -------------- 1.(SBU) THE DUTCH SUPPORT AN EXTENSION OF UNFICYP'S MANDATE AND RECOGNIZE THE NEED TO CONTINUE INDICATING STRONG INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT FOR COMPREHENSIVE SETTLEMENT TALKS (REF.A). 2.(C) AS FOR UNFICYP'S COMPOSITION, DUTCH MFA UN AFFAIRS OFFICIALS NOTED TO POLOFF THAT THEIR 99-MARINE UNFICYP CONTINGENT WILL ROTATE OUT OF CYPRUS NO LATER THAN JUNE 2001. THEY SAID THAT THEY ARE REMINDING THE UK OF THIS PLANNED STEP AND RECALLED THAT THEIR COMMITMENT TO UNFICYP ALWAYS HAS BEEN LIMITED TO A THREE-YEAR TERM. THEY SAID THAT THIS MOVE DID NOT REPRESENT A DIMUNITION OF THEIR INTEREST IN CYPRUS, BUT RATHER MARKED THE END OF THE SUSTAINABLE DEPLOYMENT PERIOD FOR THE AD HOC MARINE TASK FORCE NOW INCORPORATED INTO THE UK'S UNFICYP FORCE. UK DRAFT ON OIL-FOR-FOOD OK, BUT STILL HAS PROBLEMS -------------- -------------- 3.(C) THE DUTCH PLAN TO WORK OFF THE UK DRAFT OIL-FOR-FOOD RESOLUTION, PER. REF.B, BUT CONSIDER THAT IT DOES NOT GO FAR ENOUGH IN STREAMLINING ITEMS THAT NEED SANCTIONS COMMITTEE ATTENTION. DUTCH MFA UN AFFAIRS DIRECTOR PIM DUMORE SAID THAT DUTCH VIEWS ON THESE SANCTION ISSUES ARE "WELL KNOWN IN WASHINGTON AND IN NEW YORK." POLOFF NOTED THAT THE U.S. VALUED OUR DIALOGUE WITH AMBASSADOR VAN WALSUM ON SANCTIONS QUESTIONS AND THOUGHT THAT THE UK DRAFT INCORPORATED MANY OF VAN WALSUM'S SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVING THE OIL-FOR-FOOD PROGRAM. 4.(C) DUMORE SAID THAT HE RECOGNIZED THAT THE UK DRAFT IS AN IMPROVEMENT ON THE STATUS QUO, BUT CAUTIONED THAT, AS CURRENTLY DRAFTED, IT STILL LEAVES "TOO MANY UNNECESSARY ITEMS ON THE SANCTIONS REVIEW LISTS, UNDERMINING THE POLITICAL RESOLVE SUPPORTING CONTINUED MONITORING OF TRANSFERS TO IRAQ OF KEY DUAL-USE ITEMS THAT MIGHT SERVE WMD RECONSTITUTION PURPOSES." HE WARNED THAT, UNLESS FURTHER REFINED TO ANSWER "THE HUMANITARIAN SYMPATHIES CHAMPIONED IN THE FRENCH DRAFT AND POPULAR WITH EUROPEAN PARLIAMENTS AND PUBLICS," THE POLITICAL SUPPORT FOR AN OIL-FOR-FOOD PROGRAM THAT STILLS RETAINS PROPER SAFEGUARDS ON DUAL-USE ITEMS WILL FURTHER SUFFER. FENDRICK