NETHERLANDS/ANTILLES/VENEZUELA: CONCERNS REMAIN,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 THE HAGUE 002554

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/20/2015
TAGS: PREL MARR NL VE NA
SUBJECT: NETHERLANDS/ANTILLES/VENEZUELA: CONCERNS REMAIN,
BUT NO SUPPORT FOR DRAMATIC SHOWS OF FORCE

Classified By: CHARGE D'AFFAIRES CHAT BLAKEMAN FOR REASONS 1.4(B) AND (
D).


1. (C) SUMMARY: The Dutch MFA provided post with a non-paper
on September 19 summarizing the Dutch approach to Venezuela.
The paper reiterates that infringements of Dutch sovereignty
in the Caribbean will not be tolerated, and stresses that
this message will be communicated directly through high-level
Dutch-Venezuelan contacts. "High-level" visits from the U.S.
to the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba are welcome and the
current level of military contacts and counternarcotics
cooperation should be maintained. On the other hand, the
Dutch see "no reason, at this stage" to expand such contacts
dramatically, which could be seen as a provocation by
Caracas. According to MFA officials, the non-paper was
coordinated with the governments of Aruba and the Netherlands
Antilles and therefore reflects the official "Kingdom of the
Netherlands" position. Foreign Minister Bot still hopes to
visit Caracas in mid-October to deliver a firm message to
Chavez -- which would also allow the Dutch to raise the level
of discussion within the EU -- but has not yet received a
formal invitation. END SUMMARY


2. (C) On September 19, Charge D'Affaires and POLCOUNS were
summoned to a meeting with Marion Kappeyne van de Coppello,
Director of the Dutch MFA's Department of Western Hemisphere
Affairs, to discuss Venezuela. Kappeyne van de Coppello was
accompanied by Venezuela Desk Officer Dimitry Vogelaar and
the head of the MFA's North America Desk, Jos Schellaars.
During the brief meeting, Kappeyne van de Coppello handed
over a ten-point non-paper (text at para 5) which she
described as representing the position of the "Kingdom of the
Netherlands," meaning that the text had been coordinated with
the governments of Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles.
(Note: In a separate meeting with POLOFFs, Karel de vey
Mestagh, Kingdom Affairs Advisor at the MFA, confirmed that
the text had been coordinated with Oranjestad and
Willemstad.) Kappeyne van de Coppello asked that the text
be treated as a "non-paper" intended to facilitate discussion
rather than an aide-memoire or other official document, but
noted that it responded to specific US questions raised in
The Hague, Washington, and Caracas.


3. (C) Kappeyne van de Coppello stressed that Venezuelan
meddling in the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba remained a
serious concern. While Venezuela was a regular topic of
discussion at the EU's monthly COLAT meetings, she added, the
Dutch hoped that Foreign Minister Bot's proposed mid-October
visit to Caracas would provide an opportunity to raise Dutch
concerns at the EU ministerial level. Bot would also use the
visit to deliver a very tough message to the Venezuelan
government "at the highest possible level" that such
interference was unacceptable. Kappeyne van de Coppello
acknowledged, however, that the dates for Bot's visit were
not certain as the Venezuelan government had not yet issued a
formal "invitation." She hoped that this would be resolved
during a planned pull-aside between Bot and his Venezuelan
counterpart on the margins of UNGA this week.


4. (C) Referring to the non-paper, Charge asked for
clarification of the final point that the Kingdom sees "no
reason for a show of military strength such as visits of
nuclear powered naval vessels, visits of fleets of unusually
large scale or frequency, etc." Kappeyne van de Coppello
responded that this was a continuation of existing policy and
procedures. While large-scale naval visits could provide
economic benefits to the islands, she added, all elements of
the Kingdom were in agreement on the need to avoid gestures
which could appear unnecessarily provocative. She stressed
that the "open invitation" for non-nuclear ships remained in
force, and that there should be no reductions in the current
level or frequency of fleet visits and joint/combined
military exercises.


5. (SBU) Begin text of Dutch non-paper:


1. The government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands shares a
number of US concerns regarding Venezuela, as recently
communicated in Washington, the Hague, and Caracas.


2. The Kingdom is particularly concerned about attempts to
influence the Netherlands Antilles' internal affairs. The
Kingdom will tolerate no infringements, of any nature, on its
sovereignty. The Kingdom will use its contacts with
Venezuela to communicate this unequivocally.


3. Concerns about the Human Rights situation and the
deterioration of the rule of law in Venezuela are dealt with
under the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the EU as
well as bilaterally.


4. Given its national interests in the Caribbean the Kingdom
of the Netherlands values good relations with its neighbour
Venezuela on the basis of respect for each other's
sovereignty and territory.


5. As a close ally of the US, the Kingdom is willing to use
these channels to convey mutual concerns. A possible visit
of the Minister of Foreign Affairs to Venezuela in October
might provide such an opportunity.


6. The Kingdom welcomes high level visits from the US to the
Netherlands Antilles and Aruba to further enhance established
areas of cooperation between the Netherlands Antilles, Aruba,
and the US.


7. The Kingdom is also committed to the continuation of
existing practices of blanket clearances regarding visits for
US non-nuclear powered vessels and aeroplanes to the seaports
and airports of the Netherlands Antilles.


8. The Kingdom is also committed to continuing cooperation
regarding the Forward Operating Locations on Curacao and
Aruba as laid down in the FOL-treaty.


9. Furthermore, the Kingdom is committed to the continuation
of combined/joint military exercises in the region.


10. The Kingdom sees, at this stage, no reason for a show of
military strength such as visits of nuclear powered vessels,
visits of fleets of unusually large scale or frequency or
joint/combined military exercises of unconventional scale or
scope.

BLAKEMAN