AYAAN HIRSI ALI: FIRESTORM CONTINUES

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 THE HAGUE 001141

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/19/2016
TAGS: PREL PHUM PGOV PINR PREF KISL NL
SUBJECT: AYAAN HIRSI ALI: FIRESTORM CONTINUES

REF: A. THE HAGUE 1109


B. "POLITICS IN THE NETHERLANDS" 5/17-19/06

Classified By: AMBASSADOR ROLAND ARNALL FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D).


1. (S) SUMMARY: The debate over Ayaan Hirsi Ali's
citizenship status continues to divide the Netherlands.
Immigration Minister Rita Verdonk was roundly criticized
during a marathon May 16 Parliamentary debate for hastily
stripping Hirsi Ali's Dutch citizenship, and Prime Minister
Balkenende has demanded that she reexamine the decision.
Verdonk remains defiant in her public statements, however --
a position that resonates with some members of her party,
(VVD) if not with the leadership. Hirsi Ali has confirmed
her intention to move permanently to the U.S. and has put her
legal advisors in touch with the Mission to discuss options.
While the political establishment is siding with Hirsi Ali in
the current debate, Verdonk's tough, "rules are rules"
approach continues to appeal to large segments of the general
population. END SUMMARY.

VERDONK IN THE HOT SEAT
--------------


2. (SBU) The political firestorm surrounding the status of
Ayaan Hirsi Ali continues to grow. On May 16, nearly 5
million Dutch viewers tuned in to watch a heated, 8-hour long
parliamentary debate on Hirsi Ali's citizenship status.
Parliamentarians from nearly every political faction attacked
Immigration Minister Rita Verdonk's hasty, apparently
ill-considered decision to strip Hirsi Ali of her Dutch
citizenship (ref). The only political party to support
Verdonk's decision was the all-but-discredited List Pim
Fortuyn (LPF),one of whose members, former Immigration
Minister Hildebrand Nawijn, sparked the current controversy
by pushing Verdonk to re-investigate Hirsi Ali's case
following a critical television expose. After standing firm
for most of the debate, Verdonk reluctantly agreed -- after
3:00 a.m. -- to reexamine Hirsi Ali's status in light of
overwhelming parliamentary support for retaining her Dutch
nationality. At a VVD party rally in Hardenberg on May 17,
however, Verdonk defiantly defended her original decision,
stating that "rules are rules."


3. (SBU) On May 18, Prime Minister Balkenende summoned
Verdonk and other senior Cabinet members to a closed
ninety-minute meeting in which he reportedly told her to
implement Parliament's clear instructions to find a way for
Hirsi Ali to retain her citizenship. According to press
reports, Balkenende also instructed Verdonk to issue a
personal letter of "apology" to Hirsi Ali; instead, Verdonk
sent a letter to Hirsi restating the conclusions of the
parliamentary debate. The matter is likely to be addressed
at the full cabinet meeting on May 19.


4. (SBU) Within the VVD party leadership, the affair has
clearly cost Verdonk considerable support in her bid to lead
the party into the 2007 elections. Several prominent VVD
leaders -- including European Commissioner Neelie Kroes,
Second Chamber Speaker Frans Weisglas, and VVD Party Chairman
Jan van Zanen, and Finance Minister Gerrit Zalm -- have swung
their support behind State Secretary for Education Mark
Rutte. Even more ominously for Verdonk, the party announced
new rules allowing the almost 10,000 members who have already
cast their vote for party leader by mail to change it by
e-mail. Not surprisingly, Verdonk has challenged this
ruling. Party members who have not yet cast their votes have
until May 25 to do so; the new party leader will be announced
on May 31. (Note: Out of 40,000 voting members,
approximately 20,000 have already voted by mail or e-mail.)


WHAT NEXT FOR HIRSI ALI?
--------------


5. (S) In private meetings with Ambassador Arnall on May 16
and 18, Hirsi Ali expressed shock at the way her case has
been handled by Verdonk, and regret that she has once again
become the center of a media hurricane. She stressed that
the events of the last few days have made her more determined
than ever to move to the United States, regardless of whether
or not she is allowed to retain her Dutch citizenship.
(Note: Her legal team -- which includes prominent Dutch Human
Rights lawyer Britte Bohler, famous for defending PKK leader
Abdullah Ocalan and the Hofstad group -- has since been in
touch with CONGEN officials to discuss possible options.)
The Dutch press, meanwhile, highlighted Deputy Secretary
Zoellick's statement at a May 18 press conference in The
Hague that Hirsi Ali "is welcome to come to the United

THE HAGUE 00001141 002 OF 002


States" should she choose to do so.

PUBLIC DIVIDED
--------------


6. (C) Although the political establishment is clearly
siding against Verdonk in the current debate, the public is
almost evenly split. According to a recent poll by Maurice
de Hond, 49 percent of the Dutch population believe Hirsi Ali
should lose her Dutch nationality if she lied on her
application, while the same number believe she should keep it
because of her contribution to Dutch society. And while 47
percent of the population believe that Verdonk's decision was
influenced by political considerations, only 35 percent felt
that Hirsi Ali's departure would be "a loss" to Dutch
society. The perception that Hirsi Ali is receiving special
treatment has been fanned by emotional news stories comparing
her situation to those of "normal" immigrants who also face
loss of citizenship. Verdonk herself has argued at political
rallies that there is a "major discrepancy" between
policy-makers in The Hague and the general public, giving
rise to speculation that she may be positioning herself to
run an anti-establishment, right-wing populist campaign in
the 2007 national elections.

ARNALL