NETHERLANDS/CHINA: PROPOSED JOINT DEMARCHE ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L THE HAGUE 000427 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/27/2011 TAGS: PHUM KJUS PREL CM NL SUBJECT: NETHERLANDS/CHINA: PROPOSED JOINT DEMARCHE ON PRISONERS REF: STATE 29669 Classified By: Poloff Ted Burkhalter; reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) On February 24, Poloff delivered reftel demarche regarding a proposed joint demarche on certain Chinese prisoners cases to Sandra Pellegrom in the Dutch MFA's Human Rights and Peacebuilding Department. According to Pellegrom, the GONL is not opposed, in principle, to such joint efforts. At the moment, however, the Dutch prefer to concentrate on a limited list of the most urgent cases and to work through the EU when possible. Pellegrom said she expected most of the cases referred to in reftel would be raised in the semi-annual EU-Chinese consultations on human rights. ¶2. (C) Pellegrom was also under the impression that EU member states in Beijing may have already approached the Chinese on several cases recently. She promised to contact the GONL embassy in Beijing and ask them to touch base with our human rights officer there regarding any such discussions. BLAKEMAN