Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
04THEHAGUE578
2004-03-09 13:15:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy The Hague
Cable title:  

NATO-AFGHANISTAN: THE NETHERLANDS ON ISAF

Tags:  PREL MARR AF NL NATO 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
C O N F I D E N T I A L THE HAGUE 000578 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/08/2014
TAGS: PREL MARR AF NL NATO
SUBJECT: NATO-AFGHANISTAN: THE NETHERLANDS ON ISAF
EXPANSION

REF: A. STATE 50477

B. THE HAGUE 477 (NOTAL)

Classified By: CLASSIFIED BY POLITICAL COUNSELOR MARY DALY FOR REASONS
1.5 (B AND D)

C O N F I D E N T I A L THE HAGUE 000578

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/08/2014
TAGS: PREL MARR AF NL NATO
SUBJECT: NATO-AFGHANISTAN: THE NETHERLANDS ON ISAF
EXPANSION

REF: A. STATE 50477

B. THE HAGUE 477 (NOTAL)

Classified By: CLASSIFIED BY POLITICAL COUNSELOR MARY DALY FOR REASONS
1.5 (B AND D)


1. (C) PolMilOff made ref A demarche to Dutch MFA Security
Policy Bureau Operations Director Rob Gabrielse on March 8.
DATT addressed these points with MOD International Policy
Director BG Ton van Osch on March 9. Amb. Sobel also raised
this issue as part of a March 9 discussion with FM Bot
preparatory to PM Balkenenende's upcoming trip to Washington
(septel). The Dutch government is looking favorably at
taking over leadership of a PRT, and has taken some concrete
steps to prepare for a Cabinet decision. A joint MOD-MFA
reconnaissance team was due to depart for Afghanistan on
March 9. The team, led by MOD Operations Director Air
Commodore Pieter Cobelens, will be in Afghanistan for ten
days investigating possible locations for a Dutch-led PRT.


2. (C) While the Dutch Development Ministry will also be
represented on the interagency recce team, Gabrielse said
that he expected the focus of a Dutch PRT would be on
providing security in a specific area, as opposed to
development aid work. Gabrielse reiterated previous MFA
comments (ref B) that the Dutch are looking to partner with
countries they are used to working with such as Canada,
Belgium or Germany. Minister of Defense Kamp has taken the
first step in the lengthy GONL consultative process
preparatory to military deployments by sending a letter to
parliament on March 3 stating that in a response to a request
from the NATO SYG, the Dutch Cabinet "will investigate the
desirability and opportunity of a Dutch contribution to a
PRT."


3. (C) Comment: Gabrielse expects that upon its return the
recce team will likely recommend that the Dutch lead a PRT,
and if so, a Cabinet decision could take place within a
month. The GONL will want to ensure there is broad
parliamentary support for such a decision (though strictly
speaking, a parliamentary vote in support of the deployment
is not necessary in the Dutch system). Post has detected
cross-party support within parliament for expanding ISAF's
role, if some nervousness about the risk to Dutch forces,
especially from MPs who have traveled to Afghanistan in
recent months. We expect the GONL to engage in extensive
preparations to answer inevitable parliamentary questions
about scope of mission, potential danger to Dutch forces and
provisions for in extremis extraction. We note the Dutch
recce team is being led by MOD Operations Director Cobelens
who has been previously skeptical of the PRT mission. We
judge his presence to be a clear indication that the defense
staff is now serious about supporting PRTs. End Comment.
SOBEL