DUTCH ENGAGED ON DARFUR CRISIS

UNCLAS THE HAGUE 001537 SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR/UBI E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL EAID PHUM NL SUBJECT: DUTCH ENGAGED ON DARFUR CRISIS REF: A. STATE 122317 ¶B. THE HAGUE 1097 ¶C. 2003 THE HAGUE 3044 ¶1. Emboffs delivered ref A demarche June 4-9 to development and Africa policy counterparts in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. ¶2. Since late last year the Dutch have contributed 13 million Euros ($15.7 million) for Sudan assistance. In September 2003 the GONL gave 1.8 million Euros ($2 million) for the Greater Darfur Special Initiative. The 2004 Dutch ODA budget included an additional 6.5 million Euros ($7.8 million) for the UN and NGOs engaged in Sudanese relief efforts. At the June 2004 High Level Donor Alert meeting in Geneva, the GONL pledged a further 5 million Euros ($6 million) for Darfur. In the near term, MFA officials envisioned contributing money from the newly created Stability Fund (ref B) to fund two EU observers for the UN cease fire monitoring team. ¶3. Per ref C, the Dutch are also politically engaged in the Darfur crisis. Dutch Development Minister Agnes Van Ardenne visited the region twice last year, most recently in November 2003, and hosted a donors conference in April 2003. The Dutch are members of the four-country Sudan "troika," together with the US, UK and Norway. At the EU development minister's informal meeting on May 31 in Dublin, Van Ardenne joined other member states in strongly urging the Commission to speed its 6 week process for transferring needed funds to the African Peace Facility. MFA officials also said Foreign Minister Bot encouraged continued EU pressure on the Sudanese government at the General Affairs and External Relations Council meeting last week. ¶5. On June 18, 2004, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan named former Dutch Development Minister Jan Pronk as his special envoy for Sudan. Pronk will head the soon to be approved UN peacekeeping force to Sudan. Annan and Pronk plan to visit Sudan and the Darfur region on June 30. ¶4. The Dutch do not support the naming of a special resident coordinator for humanitarian issues. Instead, they prefer that humanitarian issues be coordinated by a deputy, subordinate to the UN resident coordinator. SOBEL