NETHERLANDS/IRAQ: BOT UNDECIDED ON ATTENDING

C O N F I D E N T I A L THE HAGUE 001647

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 6/10/2015
TAGS: PREL PGOV EAID EIND ECON IZ NL EUN
SUBJECT: NETHERLANDS/IRAQ: BOT UNDECIDED ON ATTENDING
US-EU INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON IRAQ

REF: STATE 103222

Classified By: DEPUTY CHIEF OF MISSION DANNY RUSSEL FOR REASONS 1.4(B)
AND (D).


1. (C) On June 1, Ambassador Sobel raised the June 22 US-EU
International Conference on Iraq with Dutch Foreign Minister
Bot. Per ref a, Ambassador Sobel urged Bot to attend the
conference and to take advantage of the opportunity to
announce additional Dutch contributions to the Iraqi
Transitional Government (ITG) if possible. Bot was aware of
the conference and expressed interest in attending without
making a commitment; he also suggested that we follow up
directly with the MFA's Department of Middle East and North
African Affairs. Ambassador Sobel stressed that the
conference was a top priority for the USG and noted that
high-level Dutch attendance would send a very positive signal
to the ITG.


2. (C) POLCOUNS subsequently met with Michiel den Hond,
Director of the MFA's Department of Middle East and North
African Affairs Department on June 9. Den Hond took note of
our requests for specific Dutch contributions (ref a) and
promised to study them closely. Den Hond doubted that the
Foreign Minister would attend the conference in person, as he
is already committed to visiting Algeria on June 22 as part
of a Maghreb trip. POLCOUNS reiterated the importance of
broad, ministerial level attendance at the conference to send
a clear signal of international support. Den Hond suggested
that if Bot were unable to attend, the Netherlands would
still be represented at a high level at the conference, but
could not say whether the Dutch attendee would be another
minister or a senior MFA official.


3. (C) On June 10, POLCOUNS raised the conference again with
Jaap Werner, Director of the MFA's Political Affairs
Department, urging that the Foreign Minister attend. Werner
confirmed that the Foreign Minister had not yet made a
decision regarding attendance, noting that opinion within the
MFA was split. While the Middle East Department was
reluctant to cancel the Foreign Minister's long-planned trip
to Algeria (where he will be received by the President),the
Political Affairs Department was pushing him to attend the
Iraq conference as well as the special Gymnich scheduled for
the evening of June 22. Werner could not predict when the
Foreign Minister would make his decision but promised to
inform the Embassy when he did.


4. (C) Separately, Werner and his deputy Joep Wijnands noted
that the EU was considering a proposal to name a Special
Representative for Iraq and might make a decision at the
upcoming GAERC and European Council meetings June 12-17 --
although both added that the EU leaders' preoccupation with
other issue would make it difficult to reach a quick
consensus on the issue. They also cautioned that the
European Commission might use the naming a Special
Representative as an excuse to further delay opening an EC
office in Baghdad, although the Dutch hoped it would have the
opposite effect. On the other hand, if the EU did reach a
decision to name a Special Representative, Werner and
Wijnands agreed that the upcoming Conference provided the
perfect opportunity to announce it publicly.
SOBEL