Identifier | Created | Classification | Origin |
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06THEHAGUE311 | 2006-02-10 14:53:00 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy The Hague |
VZCZCXRO2895 PP RUEHAO DE RUEHTC #0311/01 0411453 ZNY CCCCC ZZH P 101453Z FEB 06 FM AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4795 INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE RUEHBO/AMEMBASSY BOGOTA 1624 RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS 0598 RUEHGE/AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN 1130 RUEHKG/AMEMBASSY KINGSTON 0374 RUEHPO/AMEMBASSY PARAMARIBO 0270 RUEHSP/AMEMBASSY PORT OF SPAIN 0339 RUEHDG/AMEMBASSY SANTO DOMINGO 0169 RUEHTG/AMEMBASSY TEGUCIGALPA 0083 RUEHAO/AMCONSUL CURACAO 0197 RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC RUEKJCS/DIA WASHDC RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 2092 RUEKJCS/CJCS WASHDC RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC RHMFISS/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL |
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 THE HAGUE 000311 |
1. (U) This contains an information request for State Department (paragraph 6). 2. (C) Summary: DATT and poloffs met on January 9 with Major General Bertholee, Director of Operational Readiness, The Netherlands Defense Staff, Dutch Ministry of Defense (MOD) to discuss Caribbean Lion (CL), Partnership of the Americas (POA), and the proposed visit of USS George Washington (GW) to Curacao. Bertholee, who was standing in for Chief of Defense Staff General Berlijn, was noncommittal on the carrier visit, noting that the request came at an "inconvenient" time. On POA, the Bertholee asked whether other countries will be invited to participate without indicating how the Dutch would respond to such an invitation. Bertholee made clear the MOD is moving head with planning for a full amphibious operations component of CL, but stressed that the Ministers of Defense and Foreign Affairs have not yet discussed their apparently different perceptions of this operation. Bertholee promised the DATT he would consult with Berlijn on both the port visit and the anticipated scope of CL and would get back to us quickly. End summary. Proposed Carrier Visit to Curacao -------------------------- 3. (C) Bertholee said that the proposed carrier visit to Curacao comes at an "inconvenient" time, but said he would bring the issue to the attention of CHOD General Berlijn ASAP. His concerns were twofold: 1) the proposed visit comes on the heels of the contentious parliamentary debate on Afghanistan, and 2) the visit would likely occur in mid-April, only a month or so before CL. A perceived linkage between the carrier visit and CL, he said, could be problematic for the GONL. Without making any commitments, Bertholee asked whether it might be possible for the carrier to anchor offshore, rather than pierside. DATT responded that the current proposal was to dock the GW pierside. Bertholee noted that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) ultimately had the lead on approving port visits, and was pleased to learn that the issue had been raised with MFA POLDIR Hugo Siblesz on February 7 (ref A). Partnership of the Americas -------------------------- 4.(C) Bertholee was clearly interested in learning whether other nations would be expected to participate in POA. EMBOFFS noted that Siblesz had asked the same question, and promised to share this information as soon as it is received. When asked whether third country participation might make the Dutch more comfortable about the operation and associated port visits, Bertholee was evasive. He similarly would not address directly the question of Dutch willingness to participate in general. In response to our offer to send out a military planner to brief the MOD, Bertholee indicated that this was something we should revisit once the GONL has had time to discuss the exercise (and the question of Dutch participation) internally. Caribbean Lion -------------------------- 5. (C) According to Bertholee, the MOD is aware of the MFA's interest in "slightly" scaling back the amphibious exercise portion of CL. That said, the Ministers of Defense and Foreign Affairs have not yet met to hash this out, and the MOD is moving ahead with plans for a full amphibious exercise. The MOD prefers to maintain the exercises as THE HAGUE 00000311 002 OF 002 envisioned and will resist MFA pressure to change plans mid-stream, he said. DATT reported that Berlijn had told him that he wished to use CL to send a message to Chavez. Bertholee said that Berlijn's opinion would obviously carry considerable weight within MOD and would influence their discussions with MFA. 6. (C) In response to DATT's query, Bertholee said that his gut feeling was that the Venezuelans would not accept the invitation to participate in CL. That said, the Venezuelans have yet to give their response. Bertholee asked about the number and composition of U.S. Marine forces participating in CL. DATT did not have the details, but we said that the amphibious ships involved were capable of sending upwards of 1,800 Marines ashore in a standard, combined air and sea landing exercise. Information Request: -------------------------- 7. (C) The Dutch have now twice raised the question of possible third party participation in POA. Given SOUTHCOM's desire for a quick response for planning purposes, Post requests ASAP cleared talking points on this topic to share with appropriate Dutch authorities. BLAKEMAN |