PRTS: DUTCH TO DISPATCH RECCE TEAM SOON

S E C R E T THE HAGUE 000477 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/22/2014 TAGS: MOPS MARR PREL PTER AF NL SUBJECT: PRTS: DUTCH TO DISPATCH RECCE TEAM SOON REF: A. THE HAGUE 381 (NOTAL) ¶B. THE HAGUE 248 (NOTAL) Classified By: CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR CLIFFORD M. SOBEL FOR REASONS 1 .5 (B AND D) ¶1. (S) Ambassador Sobel met with Defense Minister Kamp on February 19. Kamp confirmed he was engaged in informal contacts with his European counterparts to discuss options for cooperation on PRTs. Following a February 20 meeting between Kamp and FM Bot, the GONL decided to dispatch a reconnaissance team to Afghanistan in March to explore possible options for a Dutch-led PRT. The team will likely visit two to three PRTs, such as the German PRT in Konduz, the UK PRT in Mazar-i-Sharif as well as a U.S. PRT. ¶2. (S) MFA Security Policy Bureau Chief Maurits Jochems advised PolMilOff that the GONL was considering several possibilities to include partnering with the Canadians and the Belgians, Germany or the UK (according to Jochems, the Germans have offered to reinforce a Dutch-led PRT). According to the UK embassy here, London's strong preference is to pair the Dutch with the Canadians since the UK is "full up" with the Nordics. That said, if at the end of the day the only way to get the Dutch involved was to carve space for them in UK PRT, London would probably do so. SOBEL