NETHERLANDS: URGENT DEMARCHE ON UNESCO CULTURAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L THE HAGUE 002758

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/11/2015
TAGS: PREL OPDC SCUL ETRD NL UNESCO BHUM
SUBJECT: NETHERLANDS: URGENT DEMARCHE ON UNESCO CULTURAL
DIVERSITY CONVENTION

REF: A. SECSTATE 184292


B. SECSTATE 170909

C. THE HAGUE 02584

Classified By: POLCOUNS Andrew J. Schofer for Reasons 1.4(b) and (d).


1. (U) On October 7, Post delivered ref A letter on USG
concerns regarding the draft UNESCO Convention on the
Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural
Expressions to Dutch FM Bot. On the same day, Charge and
POLCOUNS delivered ref a demarche points, along with a copy
of the letter, to Hugo Siblesz (Director General for
Political Affairs, MFA).


2. (C) On October 11, POLOFF followed up with Hein van der
Hoeven in the MFA's International Cultural Policy Division.
Van der Hoeven's response echoed Monique Korzelius' (Deputy
Head, International Cultural Policy Division, MFA) earlier
reaction to ref B demarche on the same subject, reported ref

C. Unlike Korzelius, however, van der Hoeven acknowledged
that the Convention ran the risk of impinging, rather than
enhancing, cultural expression. He added that, while the
Dutch think the present text of the draft Convention is
"acceptable," they could have "lived without" the Convention
altogether.
BLAKEMAN