IMO BUDGET DEMARCHE: DUTCH RESPONSE

UNCLAS THE HAGUE 002905 SIPDIS SENSITIVE IO/S FOR D.LEIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: AORC EWWT NL IMO SUBJECT: IMO BUDGET DEMARCHE: DUTCH RESPONSE REF: STATE 319349 ¶1. (U) EconOff delivered ref demarche concerning the proposed IMO 2004-05 budget increase to Ms. Marja Tiemens of the Ministry of Transport on November 17. Ms. Tiemens said the Netherlands feels the 13.6% increase is "high, but not excessive." The Dutch have doubts that the current budget will be adequate to support the IMO's expanding tasks, including those in the area of maritime security, and therefore "extra investment" may be needed. Nevertheless, the Dutch will have a number of questions for the IMO council about the budget, specifically on the increase in personnel and what they see as questionable return on investment from IT expenditures. ¶2. (SBU) Comment: The Dutch pay a high degree of attention to the IMO and are budget-minded themselves. Therefore, they could be useful allies to USG efforts to reform the organization. However, their instinct to support all institutions multilateral may prevent them from taking a firm position against escalating budgets. End Comment. RUSSEL