WORLD HERITAGE COMMITTEE/NETHERLANDS: DUTCH

UNCLAS THE HAGUE 001919 SIPDIS PARIS FOR UNESCO E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SCUL NL UNESCO SUBJECT: WORLD HERITAGE COMMITTEE/NETHERLANDS: DUTCH FAVORABLY DISPOSED TO USG CANDIDACY REF: STATE 112739 ¶1. Poloff met Hein van der Hoeven (MFA desk officer in the Department for UN and IFI Affairs) on July 6, 2005 to deliver reftel diplomatic note and request Dutch support for the United States at the elections to the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO. ¶2. Van der Hoeven appreciated the timely announcement of the U.S. candidacy. He said the "GoNL would look favorably on it," despite the U.S. practice of not trading votes or revealing its own voting preferences; this meant the USG would "likely have nothing to offer in exchange" for Dutch support, he observed. Checking an electronic draft candidacy list he could not share, he counted 21 countries in the running. Spain and Israel were the other WEOG members, he said, noting that the elections were not decided by UN regional group. BLAKEMAN