Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
00THEHAGUE1879
2000-06-23 11:06:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy The Hague
Cable title:  

FRY RIGHT TO ADDRESS THE UNSC: DUTCH WILL ABSTAIN

Tags:  PREL SR NL UNSC 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
C O N F I D E N T I A L THE HAGUE 001879 

SIPDIS


E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/23/2010
TAGS: PREL SR NL UNSC
SUBJECT: FRY RIGHT TO ADDRESS THE UNSC: DUTCH WILL ABSTAIN


REF: SECSTATE 119702


Classified by A/Polcouns Eric Lundberg, Reasons 1.5 b/d

C O N F I D E N T I A L THE HAGUE 001879

SIPDIS


E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/23/2010
TAGS: PREL SR NL UNSC
SUBJECT: FRY RIGHT TO ADDRESS THE UNSC: DUTCH WILL ABSTAIN


REF: SECSTATE 119702


Classified by A/Polcouns Eric Lundberg, Reasons 1.5 b/d


1.(C) The Netherlands will abstain if the motion to allow the
FRY Permrep to address the UN Security Council is brought to
a vote. Responding to reftel demarche, MFA Balkans
Coordinator Remmert Cohen told A/Polcouns on June 23 that the
Dutch preferred abstention to a no-vote since it would help
deny Belgrade a forum while minimizing the ire of the
Russians, whose continued cooperation in Kosovo was important
to preserve. The Dutch also did not wish to flaunt the
principle that UN members had a right to address the UNSC, he
said, a point emphasized to A/Polcouns by MFA acting head of
UN Political Affairs Marcel van der Kolk.


2.(C) Noting that London and Paris had both signaled their
intention to abstain, Cohen said that the Dutch Mission in
New York was confident the pro-FRY motion would fail to win
the nine affirmative votes necessary. Cohen could not see
how Milosevic could garner any propaganda victory from the
failure of NATO Allies on the UNSC to vote no, rather than
abstain, since the end results were identical.
SCHNEIDER