AMBASSADOR MEETS WITH DUTCH AMBASSADOR

UNCLAS ACCRA 002630 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS FOR AF/W AND INR/B E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PINR GH SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR MEETS WITH DUTCH AMBASSADOR ¶1. (SBU) Newly arriving Dutch Ambassador Alida ("Lidi") Remmelzwaal paid a courtesy call on Ambassador Pamela Bridgewater on October 30; the DCM and Poloff also attended. Remmelzwaal shared her government's concerns over transparency and economic development in Ghana. Ambassador Bridgewater proffered a long list of issues with which the U.S. and the Netherlands could cooperate, including improving the business climate, encouraging private sector investment, combating corruption, fostering inter-ethnic harmony, lowering unemployment, and improving sanitation and health. Ambassador Bridgewater extended a warm, personal welcome to Remmelzwaal, noting they were among the few female ambassadors currently accredited to Ghana. ¶2. (U) Ms. Remmelzwaal's bio follows: Alida Petronella Remmelzwaal was born on November 16, 1950 in Leiden, the Netherlands. She graduated in 1975 from the University of Wageningen with a Masters degree in Agricultural Science. Remmelzwaal worked for the Netherlands Organization for International Cooperation for Higher Education from 1976-79. From 1980-83, Remmelzwaal worked at the Ministry of Health of the government of Mozambique and from 1984-85 as a bilateral expert in food aid at the Dutch Embassy in Maputo. In 1986, Remmelzwaal returned to The Hague to work as head of the Food Aid Department at the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture (1986-91). She spent an additional eight years at the Dutch MFA serving in the Department of Multilateral Cooperation (1991-95) and in the Department for UN Funds and Programs (1995-99). In 1999, Remmelzwaal returned to Africa to serve as the Head of Cooperation at the Dutch Embassy in Lusaka, Zambia. In 2002, Remmelzwaal was appointed Ambassador to the Republic of Mozambique. In 2006, Remmelzwaal arrived in Accra to serve as Ambassador to Ghana. Remmelzwaal is married to Eduard Johannes van Cortenberghe. BRIDGEWATER