Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06THEHAGUE2044
2006-09-19 15:02:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy The Hague
Cable title:  

NETHERLANDS/ICTY/SERBIA: DEL PONTE, GONL URGE

Tags:  PREL ICTY PGOV PHUM SR YI NL 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO7639
PP RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHTC #2044 2621502
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 191502Z SEP 06
FM AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6850
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS 0381
C O N F I D E N T I A L THE HAGUE 002044 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/15/2016
TAGS: PREL ICTY PGOV PHUM SR YI NL
SUBJECT: NETHERLANDS/ICTY/SERBIA: DEL PONTE, GONL URGE
CONSISTENT MESSAGE

REF: STATE 146343

Classified By: Political Counselor Andrew Schofer; reasons 1.4 (b) and
(d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L THE HAGUE 002044

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/15/2016
TAGS: PREL ICTY PGOV PHUM SR YI NL
SUBJECT: NETHERLANDS/ICTY/SERBIA: DEL PONTE, GONL URGE
CONSISTENT MESSAGE

REF: STATE 146343

Classified By: Political Counselor Andrew Schofer; reasons 1.4 (b) and
(d).


1. (C) Summary: ICTY Chief Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte and
Dutch MFA officials have expressed concern that the message
from the U.S., as well as the messages being sent by various
EU and NATO members, are not consistent. The Dutch are
maintaining a hard line on ICTY compliance and are worried
that the U.S. may be wavering. Del Ponte stressed the need
for unity. End summary.

- Special Prosecutor urges unity, full compliance


2. (C) Embassy Legal Counselor delivered reftel message
September 10 to Del Ponte. On September 14, del Ponte's
senior political advisor, Jean-Daniel Ruch, replied on her
behalf. Text follows:

"The Prosecutor ... obviously agrees very much that a
concerted message from the international community must be
given to the Serbs. In this connection, it is of the utmost
importance that the EU and NATO continue to give consistent
signals to Belgrade. Since the EU has made it clear that
Mladic is the condition for the re-opening of the SAA talks,
there is no choice but NATO continuing to say that Mladic is
the condition for PFP.

"The Prosecutor is not so confident that the 'confluence of
recent and anticipated events' may make Serbia more willing
to deliver Mladic this fall. It would be useful if you could
provide us with more details on this rather optimistic
assessment. Kosovo is obviously a major uncertainty which
may bear significantly on future developments in the
cooperation provided by Serbia to the ICTY also. In this
context, we have noted with some surprise the comments made
by President Tadic this week, saying that he was told in
Washington that the delivery of Mladic would have an impact
on the outcome of the Kosovo issue - at least as far as the
timing is concerned. Was this idea truly flagged when Tadic
was in the USA?

"The Prosecutor is grateful that you are as well encouraging
the EU and neighbouring governments to press Belgrade for
concrete results as soon as possible. We are obviously
sending the same signals. This was very much the conclusion
drawn by the most important EU partners following the
briefing I delivered to the EU Balkans experts on 6
September."

End text.

- GONL concerned U.S. stance is a retreat from full compliance


3. (C) Poloff and Deputy Legal Counselor delivered the
demarche as well to Dutch MFA Balkans desk officers September

8. The desk officers said that they had heard from the
British recently, and that the UK seemed at the time to be
exploring the possibility of softening its position. The UK
had subsequently determined that it would continue to insist
on full compliance. The Dutch, like del Ponte's advisor,
queried emboffs about whether our approach to PFP would
weaken our demands for full compliance.


4. (C) EUR PDAS Volker met separately with Dutch MFA
officials September 12. MFA Deputy Director General for
Political Affairs Wim Geerts stressed that the GONL would "be
among the hardliners" on ICTY cooperation and said that U.S.
support of an action plan for ICTY compliance "looked somehow
like a step back from unconditionality."
ARNALL