AFGHANISTAN: DUTCH INDUSTRY TO STAGE CONFERENCE

UNCLAS THE HAGUE 003011

SIPDIS

SA/AR, EUR/UBI

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: AF EAID ECON NL
SUBJECT: AFGHANISTAN: DUTCH INDUSTRY TO STAGE CONFERENCE
ON BIZ OPPORTUNITIES


1. The Dutch Chamber of Commerce and the National Center
for Trade Promotion are sponsoring a conference on business
opportunities in Afghanistan, to be held December 10 in
Rotterdam. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will send two
speakers: Ronald Mollinger, Ambassador at Large and Special
Envoy for Afghanistan, and Wouter Biesterbos, senior official
at the South Asia Division.


2. The stated goal of the conference is to highlight for
the Dutch business sector the future potential opportunities
that exist both in investment in Afghanistan and in
participation in the country's reconstruction. The
conference is being organized by the membership organization
"Dutch-Afghan Center for Trade Promotion" which is chaired by
Afghan expatriate Ehsan Turabaz. The organizers also expect
to have a representative of Dutch bank ING and/or a spokesman
from Price Waterhouse Coopers. The Chamber has held two
similar conferences on Iraq in the past year -- each was
attended by around 200 participants.


3. The invitation letter states that Afghanistan has gone
through extensive change: "Stability is back, and there is a
good political structure, next to which the economy is
gradually taking shape." The invitation also makes note of
the reconstruction opportunities that will be made possible
by the USD 500 million Afghan Reconstruction Trust Fund and
identifies the government of the Netherlands as one of the
fund's largest donors.


4. Embassy The Hague's Economic Section will send a
representative to the December 10 conference.
SOBEL