BEMBE EXTRADITION DEMARCHE DELIVERED

C O N F I D E N T I A L THE HAGUE 002556 SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR/UBI, EUR/PPD, AF/S E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/20/2015 TAGS: KPAO AO NL PBTS XA PREL SUBJECT: BEMBE EXTRADITION DEMARCHE DELIVERED REF: A. SECSTATE 171983 ¶B. THE HAGUE 2515 Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Chat Blakeman for Reason 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (C) Summary: According to Renee Jones-Bos, Director General for Regional and Consular Affairs at the Dutch MFA, the MFA expects to limit its role in the Bembe extradition to responding to specific questions posed by the court during Bembe's September 13 hearing and will not take a political position with regard to the proceedings. Jones-Bos reiterated, however, that the Dutch Embassy in Angola considers Bembe a valued partner in the peace discussions. She noted that Bembe's arrest in the Hague had put the MFA in an awkward position. Jones-Bos asked whether the U.S. would consider reevaluating its extradition request in the context of "more important" issues; Charge stressed this was not an option, as our demarche made clear. End Summary. ¶2. (C) On September 20, Charge met with Renee Jones-Bos, Director General for Regional and Consular Affairs, to deliver ref. A points on the Bembe extradition. Charge noted the U.S. views the case as an issue for the judicial system, and would like to see it played out in the courts, not in the political arena or in the press. Jones-Bos agreed, and said the MFA "would not meddle in the legal procedures" and would limit its involvement to responding directly to specific questions raised during Bembe's September 13 hearing (ref. B). She did not expect the MFA, as an institution, to take a political position with regard to the case. Jones-Bos said she would advise us in advance if that changed. ¶3. (C) Jones-Bos noted, however, that Bembe's arrest had put the MFA in an "awkward position" for two reasons. First, the MFA granted Bembe a visa to enter the Netherlands at the request of Kredaa, a Dutch NGO involved in Cabindan peace negotiations with Angola. The visit of Bembe, considered by the Dutch Embassy in Angola to be a key player in the negotiations, "suited the general purposes of (Dutch) foreign policy." Second, Jones-Bos intimated that Bembe's arrest at the Peace Palace had embarrassed the MFA because of the building's symbolic status as a center for international peace efforts. Charge responded by noting that the Netherlands risked earning a very different reputation if it harbored fugitives or failed to fulfill its treaty obligations. ¶4. (C) In response to a pointed query by Jones-Bos into the case's significance to the U.S., Charge said the extradition of Bembe, a wanted criminal, is important to the USG. Jones asked whether there was a chance the U.S. would put the case aside in the context of other "more important" matters. Charge stressed that this was not an option. BLAKEMAN