SHIRBRIG SUPPORT FOR ETHIOPIA/ERITREA PEACE: DUTCH

1.(C) The Dutch MFA is studying the UN military advisors
request for Dutch a contribution to a SHIRBRIG operation in
Ethiopia/Eritrea (refs a and b). MFA UN Political expert
Marjolijn van Deelen told A/Polcouns on June 26 that no Dutch
decision will be made until a satisfactory UN mandate and
command structure are defined. However, Van Deelen observed
that a prospective deployment of Dutch forces to
Ethiopia/Eritrea was more doable than the recently-declined
Dutch participation in UNAMSIL in Sierra Leone, since the
former presented a more clear-cut mission that could
reasonably remain within a Chapter VI mandate. Another
selling point, of course, is that SHIRBRIG commander General
Patrick Cammaert is a Dutchman.


2.(SBU) Discussions within the Dutch government are currently
focused on whether participation in a Horn of Africa
operation meet the criteria adopted by the current coalition
in 1994 for participation in peacekeeping operations. These
criteria are as follows:


-- Dutch interests served (which include international peace
and security);


-- Clear mandate, consistent with international law;


-- Solidarity and credibility of international support;


-- Evident support over the long term among participants and
countries of the region;


-- Dutch parliamentary and public support;


-- Concrete objectives;


-- Realizable objectives;


-- Burden sharing among a PKO participants;


-- Available Dutch military units;


-- Clear command structure (no duel key);


-- Satisfactory risk level;


-- Adequate rules of engagement;


-- Adequate (UN or other) financial support;


-- Clear timetable for Dutch force participation.


3.(C) Ref B notes that the Dutch will be asked to contribute,
in priority order, an infantry battalion with engineer
company, one role 2 medical hospital, one helicopter wing, or
one brigade headquarters company. Van Deelen said that the
nature of the Dutch contribution would be determined once a
decision to participate was made -- in other words, the
availability or not of particular units would not determine
the ultimate decision. Within the next day, she said, the
MFA would determine whether to participate in an initial
SHIRBRIG survey mission to Ethiopia/Eritrea. Thereafter, she
advised, deliberations would continue within the GON on the
question of larger Dutch participation, with the MFA UN
Affairs department taking the lead.


Comment


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4.(C) There does not appear to have been any MFA-MOD
consultation on this proposal. Notwithstanding our MFA
contact's confidence that military commitments would follow
political decisionmaking on Dutch deployment, mission is not
entirely confident that the Dutch military at this moment has
the force flexibility or budget wherewithal to deploy a
battalion-plus force to the Horn of Africa. End comment.
SCHNEIDER