MEDIA COVERAGE OF PDAS KURT VOLKER VISIT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 THE HAGUE 000135

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SUBJECT: MEDIA COVERAGE OF PDAS KURT VOLKER VISIT



1. Summary: PA organized a TV interview and a roundtable
with journalists for PDAS Kurt Volker on January 17 in The
Hague. All media emphasized Volker's "moderate" approach
and reported positively his statement that the US is not
pressuring the Dutch. They noted his assertion that former
Ambassador Paul Bremer's comments about "punishing" the
Netherlands do not reflect U.S. policy. Media also took
note of his comment that the ISAF III mission would proceed
without the Dutch if necessary, with another NATO member
filling the proposed Dutch role. End summary.


2. TV COVERAGE
--------------

January 17, 10:00 p.m. NOS news (813,000 viewers) report
opens with the interviewer's voiceover that senior US
official Kurt Volker said that if the Netherlands does not
want to participate in ISAF III, NATO would have to look for
another partner to do the job. He adds that Volker is the
umpteenth senior US official visiting the Netherlands to
brief MPs on the mission to southern Afghanistan.

Voiceover continues: D66 opposes the mission, but D66 MP
Bert Bakker happily raised a glass at the residence of the
American Embassy. The commentator noted that MPs and
military experts were invited for a briefing on Afghanistan
and the possible Dutch mission.

On camera Volker says the mission in Afghanistan is a
terrific opportunity for assisting the Afghan people. "We're
contributing to this and we hope to increase our
contribution to it. I know Dutch parliament is considering
this now but it is a decision for the members of parliament
to make."

Asked what would happen if the Netherlands does not
participate, Volker explains that ISAF is a NATO mission and
that they are determined to make the mission succeed. "I'm
sure they will look for another partner if the Dutch are not
able to participate."

Confronted with Paul Bremer's recent statements that there
would be economic consequences if the Netherlands did not
participate, Volker says Bremer was speaking for himself and
not for the US government. "This is about helping the
Afghan people and how we as allies can work together to do
this."

They report Volker says the situation [in Uruzgan] is not
too dangerous to start reconstruction, though he noted you
can not draw a clean line between reconstruction and
security missions because there are terrorists in the area.

News program NOVA (640,000 viewers) intersperses Volker's
remarks with those of politicians in a story on the broader
political debate. Politicians comment favorably on Volker's
statement that Paul Bremer was not speaking for the U.S.
government.


3. PRINT COVERAGE
--------------

National dailies (DE VOLKSKRANT, ALGEMEEN DAGBLAD, TROUW,
and NRC HANDELSBLAD),fifty regional papers (through the
news service GPD or ANP),and news agencies ANP and AP
reported the roundtable.

Sample headlines:

DE VOLKSKRANT: "Senior Diplomat Came to Mainly Listen"
(1/18)
ANP: "No American Pressure on Dutch Decision" (1/18)
TROUW: "Americans Say They're Not Applying Pressure" (1/18)
NRC HANDELSBLAD: "US Diplomats on Uruzgan Mission:
Netherlands Should Also Fight Terrorism" (1/18)

Following are excerpts from print media reports:

ANP notes, "Volker now says there is no pressure at all. If
the Netherlands would not participate then NATO would be
looking for another country to fill that gap. Volker said
about Bremer: `He wrote a book and he has to promote that.
He is now a private citizen and is not speaking on behalf of
the American government.' Volker also indicated that the
Netherlands should take into account the possibility of
casualties in the province of Uruzgan. `If there were no
risks there, the troops would not be necessary.' He also
said that in Operation Enduring Freedom, the American hunt
for al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters, `does not have any
geographical borders.' That means that the Americans could
operate in areas where the Dutch are working on a
reconstruction mission. A mix-up of these two missions is
the big fear of parties in the Second Chamber such as the
PvdA, D66, Green Left, and SP."

DE VOLKSKRANT headlines, "Senior Diplomat Came to Mainly
Listen" and writes, "To provide further information and
mainly listen: that was the slogan for the lightning visit
that Kurt Volker, American Principal Deputy Assistant
Secretary of State, paid to The Hague. The US `does not

SIPDIS
want to put any pressure' on the Dutch debate about the
planned mission to Afghanistan, said the American diplomat.
Volker met with officials of the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs. In the evening he had dinner with Members of
Parliament and military experts. Volker's direct chief,
Assistant Secretary Daniel Fried, said last week in DE
VOLKSKRANT that he was amazed by the "overheated" debate in
the Netherlands. Volker did not use such words. He clearly
distanced himself from the clear warning issued by Paul
Bremer, former administrator in Iraq (and former US
Ambassador to the Netherlands). Bremer talked about
possible damage to the Dutch interests should the
Netherlands not participate in the Uruzgan mission. Volker
said, "Bremer is a private citizen now and certainly does
not speak on behalf of the American government. We do not
spend our time punishing allies." Volker said he does not
see any tension between the mainly American Operation
Enduring Freedom, which is aimed at hunting for terrorists,
and the NATO stabilization mission. "Security and
reconstruction go hand in hand."

NRC HANDELSBLAD carries a front-page January 18 report, "US
Diplomats on Uruzgan Mission: Netherlands Should Also Fight
Terrorism," which combines Volker's comments with those of
US Ambassador to NATO Victoria Nuland. NRC reports PDAS
Volker said in a meeting with journalists that there should
be a "synergy" between Operation Enduring Freedom and the
ISAF mission in the province of Uruzgan. It includes
Ambassador Nuland's comment in a BBC radio program that she
expects a contribution from the Dutch "in fighting
insurgents."

PvdA MP Koenders says in the article that separation of the
two missions is essential to his party. Koenders also says
that Volker did not repeat the "synergy statement" during a
dinner with MPs. Fighting insurgents, according to the
Dutch government, is absolutely not the ISAF task. But the
Cabinet does leave room for the possibility of Dutch
participation in preventive attacks at armed groups.