IRAQ: TOKYO DONORS' MEETING

UNCLAS THE HAGUE 002453

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EB/ODF/DE MARCELLUS AND EB/UBI/HOLLIDAY

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID ECON EFIN PREL NL
SUBJECT: IRAQ: TOKYO DONORS' MEETING

REF: SECSTATE 196084


1. We delivered reftel demarche and nonpaper on 14 September
to Adri van Loopik, head of the Gulf States Division of the
Dutch MFA's North Africa and Middle East department, as well
as Willemein Kallenberg, Iraq desk officer. They had no
substantive response at that time.


2. On September 22, Joris Beerda, staffer in the Peace
Building and Governance division of the Development Ministry
informed econoff that the GONL will be represented at the
Tokyo conference by their ambassador to Japan H. Jacobs and
his political counselor J. Heidsma. An EU-Council
secretariat staffer will also attend with the Dutch

SIPDIS
delegation.


3. On the topic of Dutch plans for future Iraq assistance,
Beerda said his government is considering contributing two
million euros for Iraqi elections next year, and that one
million euros will be allocated to the UN protection force in
Baghdad. The Netherlands will pledge a further 500 thousand
euros to UNSECOORD. Beyond that, Beerda said his government
had no long term assistance plan for Iraq.


4. The Dutch pledged 9.4 million euros at Madrid. Of this,
five of the six million euros intended for the trust fund
have been disbursed. The remaining 3.4 million euros for
economic assistance have not been released because of the
security situation. Among other Dutch funds pledged, four of
the five million euros for humanitarian assistance have been
released, with the final one million euros scheduled for
release by the end of 2004. Finally, to date the Netherlands
has spent approximately 52 million euros maintaining its
marine battalion in Al Mutthana, and has disbursed another
two million euros on security sector reform related programs
the province.
SOBEL