NETHERLANDS/PKK: DUTCH DEMARCHED ON COMBATTING

S E C R E T THE HAGUE 002802 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/17/2015 TAGS: PTER PREL PINR EFIN KCRM TU NL SUBJECT: NETHERLANDS/PKK: DUTCH DEMARCHED ON COMBATTING PKK SUPPORT REF: STATE 186669 Classified By: ACTING DCM ANDREW SCHOFER FOR REASONS 1.4(B) AND (D). ¶1. (S) POLCOUNS delivered reftel demarche on reducing European support to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) to Pim Dumore, Director of the Dutch MFA's Political Affairs Department, on October 13. On October 14, POLCOUNS followed up with Fred Olthof, Director of the Dutch MFA's Office of New Threats and Challenges. ¶2. (S) POLCOUNS stressed that reftel demarche reflected a high-level USG decision to strengthen transatlantic efforts to shut down the PKK in Europe. He noted that we expected to approach European governments, including the GONL, shortly with specific proposals for enhancing cooperative intelligence, law enforcement, and/or diplomatic measures related to this effort. ¶3. (S) Dumore and Olthof separately acknowledged that the PKK had not previously been a high priority for GONL counter-terrorism efforts. Olthof noted that the Dutch generally had not viewed the PKK as a serious threat to Dutch or European interests given its primary focus on Turkey, even though it had been designated a terrorist organization. Olthof said he would pass the substance of the demarche to other relevant GONL agencies and ask them to start thinking about possible areas of cooperation. BLAKEMAN