DUTCH VIEWS ON PM'S MARCH 16 MEETING WITH PRESIDENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 THE HAGUE 000584

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/09/2014
TAGS: IZ NL PREL TU
SUBJECT: DUTCH VIEWS ON PM'S MARCH 16 MEETING WITH PRESIDENT


Classified By: AMB CLIFFORD M. SOBEL FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D)


1. (C) Summary: On March 9, Ambassador Sobel met separately
with FM Bot and the PM's diplomatic advisor, Rob Swartbol, to
preview the March 16 meeting between the President and PM
Balkenende. PM Balkenede will bring the message that the
Dutch EU presidency will advance the transatlantic agenda in
concrete ways, including seeking close U.S.-EU cooperation on
the Greater Middle East, on counter-terrorism, and on the
international economic agenda. He also will be prepared to
talk about Turkey and China. In preparation for the visit,
the GoNL is advancing plans for PRT's in Afghanistan and an
extension of Dutch troops in Iraq. These deployment
decisions are in the planning phase, and will require
detailed discussion with parliament. The public impression
the Dutch want to create is that the Netherlands is a serious
partner of the U.S., focused on getting things done with us
and serving as a bridge to Europe. The Prime Minister and
Foreign Minister are traveling extensively to solidify
relationships in Europe before their presidency begins. End
Summary.

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Turkey
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2. (C) Just back from an EU troika visit to Ankara, FM Bot
said that Turkey's prospects for joining the EU were looking
good but would depend heavily on whether a Cyprus deal is
reached. As a former ambassador to Ankara, Bot also noted
that Turkey remains a "master of shooting itself in the
foot." During talks with the troika, both Gul and Erdogan
insisted that, if a Cyprus deal is reached, the Annan deal
should be incorporated into EU primary law, which would
require ratification in all EU countries. The Troika said
that such a process could doom Turkey's and northern Cyprus's
accession if even one country failed to ratify. Erdogan and
Gul reportedly insisted that they need the legal protection.
Bot said Turkey fears that even a private citizen upset about
real estate could take the Annan plan to the European Court,
that the court could find the Annan plan in violation of EU
primary law, and that that in turn could block northern
Cyprus from entering the EU. Separately, PM Balkenende's
diplomatic advisor Rob Swartbol said PM Balkenende spoke with
President Chirac for 45 minutes March 9 about Turkey and IGC
matters. Swartbol was more cautious about Turkey's
prospects, noting that some countries, including France, were
not yet prepared to give Turkey an unqualified "yes."

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Greater Middle East
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3. (C) The Dutch plan to tell the President that they are
prepared to put into action any agreements on GME that the
G-8, NATO, U.S.-EU, and EU Council summits reach in June.
The Dutch believe the U.S. and EU should be partners in
implementing a strategy for the Middle East, that their
message should be coordinated so no perceived differences can
be exploited, and that they should play to their relative
strengths, creating a synergy. FM Bot cited
non-proliferation, rule of law and democracy as goals for the
region, and reiterated an interest in seeing the peace
process move forward. (Note: In a March 5 speach to a Dutch
Christian Democratic group, Bot endorsed the President's call
for a UNSC nonproliferation resolution and for U.S.-EU
cooperation on the greater Middle East. End note.) Swartbol
later said the Dutch were talking to Turkey about the
possibility of Turkey hosting a meeting between the EU and
the Conference of Islamic States during the Dutch EU
presidency.

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Iraq
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4. (C) The PM will ask about U.S. intentions in Iraq after
June 30 and will tell the President that the cabinet
instructed the military to begin plans to extend the troops
through 2004, pending parliamentary approval. They are also
intrigued at the idea of training Iraqi diplomats and
reviewing whether they have the capacity to coordinate an
international effort or to "train the trainers."

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Afghanistan
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5. (C) The Prime Minister will also say that the Dutch have
a team in Afghanistan now to investigate possible
participation in a provincial reconstruction team. Current
indications are that they will offer to lead a PRT. They
have begun to lay the groundwork with parliament.

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Counter-Terrorism
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6. (C) Political Director Siblesz said that the Dutch would
like to use their presidency to get the EU as a whole to do
the kinds of things the Dutch and U.S. are doing bilaterally,
especially on such border security issues as the Container
Security Initiative and biometrics. Swartbol said the Dutch
were toying with the idea of suggesting that the EU create a
Solana-like position for Justice and Home Affairs so that the
EU had a clear counterpart to offer to the U.S. and other
external partners.

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Innovation
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7. (U) The Prime Minister is interested in spurring more
cooperation between the U.S. and the EU on economic and
technical innovation. He believes the EU's Lisbon agenda
should be pursued in cooperative terms with the U.S., vice
competitive ones. He is also considering hosting an event on
innovation with the explicit goal of generating a report to
the EU Council that in turn would lead to a Council direction
to the Commission.

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Norms and Values
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8. (U) Balkende might also describe how he plans to make
norms and values an agenda item in Europe during the Dutch
presidency.
SOBEL