NETHERLANDS/SYRIA: BOT'S ROAD TO DAMASCUS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 THE HAGUE 002619

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/15/2016
TAGS: PREL EUN SY NL
SUBJECT: NETHERLANDS/SYRIA: BOT'S ROAD TO DAMASCUS


Classified By: POLCOUNS ANDREW J. SCHOFER FOR REASONS 1.4(B/D).


1. (C) SUMMARY: Dutch Foreign Minister Bot used his December
12 visit to Damascus to press for quick resolution of a
controversial child custody case as well as to discuss
broader regional issues, including Iraq, Lebanon, and
Israeli-Palestinian relations. Bot's Syrian interlocutors,
including President Assad, reportedly argued that Europe was
a more "natural ally" for Syria than Iran, and pressed for
greater political and economic engagement. A Dutch MFA
official accompanying Bot was impressed with Assad's "vision"
and claimed the Syrians have no interest in fomenting unrest
in the region, as such unrest could ultimately undermine
Assad's regime as well. She acknowledged, however, that
actions speak louder than words, and said the Dutch will
continue to press the Syrians to act more constructively.
The Syrians told Bot they "welcomed" the Baker-Hamilton
report's call for greater dialogue between Syria and the
U.S., but placed more hope in the near term in using Europe
as an intermediary. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) During his one-day visit to Damascus on December 12,
Dutch Foreign Minister Bot met separately with Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad, Foreign Minister Walid
al-Mu'allam, and Vice President/Former Foreign Minister
Farouk al-Shara'a. On December 13, Henriette van Lynden,
Director of the Dutch MFA's Department of Middle East and
North African Affairs, briefed Ambassador Arnall and visiting
Congressman Hoekstra on the results of the visit.

CHILD CUSTODY CASE TOPS AGENDA
--------------


3. (C) According to van Lynden, who accompanied Bot to
Damascus, the most pressing issue on the Foreign Minister's
agenda was to bring about a quick resolution to an
outstanding child custody case which has become a major
political issue in the Netherlands. (The two children of a
Dutch mother and a dual national father have been residing in
the Dutch Embassy in Damascus for several months after
fleeing their father, who faces kidnapping charges in the
Netherlands for taking them to Syria in violation of a Dutch
custody judgment.) Bot made clear to his Syrian
interlocutors -- including President Assad -- that the
current situation is unacceptable, and must be resolved
before there can be any progress in Dutch-Syrian relations.
Van Lynden said Assad was sympathetic to Bot's appeal and
promised to use his influence to resolve the case
satisfactorily "before the end of the year."

SYRIANS KEEN TO ENGAGE WITH EUROPE
--------------


4. (C) Bot also used the opportunity to engage with the
Syrians on Iraq, Lebanon, and the Israel-Palestinian dispute.
According to van Lynden, Bot has a history of engaging
constructively with his Syrian counterparts and had consulted
with Israeli FM Livni before deciding on the visit; Van
Lynden placed Bot's visit within the context of other trips
to Syria by European political figures, including German FM
Steinmeier.


5. (C) Van Lynden described Bot's Syrian interlocutors as
keenly interested in deepening engagement with Europe and
seriously disturbed by the chaotic situations in neighboring
Lebanon and Iraq. Asked by Congressman Hoekstra what
evidence the Syrians presented to bolster the latter claim,
van Lynden acknowledged that "concrete examples" were hard to
cite. She argued, however, that it was not in Syria's
interest as a secular, multi-ethnic state to foment religious
and ethnic divisions in the region, as similar divisions
could be exploited to undermine Assad's regime. Bot's Syrian
interlocutors, she added, had used this argument, among
others, to explain why they believed Europe, rather than
Iran, was a more "natural ally" for Syria over the long-term.


"IT'S NOT OUR FAULT!"
--------------


6. (C) Pressed on why Syrian actions did not appear
consistent with their professed good intentions, van Lynden
repeated several Syrian arguments; e.g., they accepted money
from Iran "because they had no alternatives;" they supported

THE HAGUE 00002619 002 OF 002


anti-Sinoria movements in Lebanon because "the U.S. was
supporting an anti-Syrian regime there;" they would not close
the border with Iraq because "they lacked the equipment and
capability." On each of these points, however, van Lynden
stressed that the Dutch would continue to push the Syrians to
back up their words with real actions. She noted that the
Syrians continued to blame others -- especially the U.S. and
Israel, but also Palestinian leader Abbas, whom they
characterized as "too weak" to control Hamas -- for problems
they helped create.


7. (C) Van Lynden, who served in Beirut in the 1980's, noted
that Syria clearly has not developed as much economically as
many of its neighbors over the last few decades. For that
reason, Bot's Syrian interlocutors expressed strong interest
in boosting economic ties with Europe -- which would also
allow them to put more distance between Damascus and Tehran.
Bot reportedly reminded the Syrians that the EU's Association
Agreement with Syria -- which has been initialed but not
submitted for ratification -- could not move forward without
clear progress on the Syrian side on Human Rights and other
areas. Van Lynden suggested that the association agreement
nevertheless remained an important source of potential
leverage. While the Syrians welcomed the Baker-Hamilton
report's recommendation of increased U.S. engagement with
Syria and Iran, she added, in the short term they clearly put
more hope in the possibility of strengthening ties with
Europe, and of using European contacts as a bridge to the
U.S.

A MAN WITH A VISION
--------------


8. (C) According to van Lynden, Syrian President Assad as
"very much his father's son," but opined that, unlike his
father, he "also appears to have a positive vision for the
future." Hoekstra observed that many people had made the
same analysis when Assad first took power in 2000, but he had
so far failed to deliver. Van Lynden took the point, but
reiterated that, in the Dutch/European view, engaging with
Assad critically stood a better chance of shaping a positive
future for Syria and the region than seeking to isolate him.


BLAKEMAN