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