POTENTIAL SALE OF DRENT GOEBEL PRESS TO THE DPRK:

C O N F I D E N T I A L THE HAGUE 001063 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR/UBI (RREITER) STATE ALSO FOR ISN, EAP, EUR, INL TREASURY FOR TFI E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/05/2017 TAGS: KNNP MNUC KS PARM PREL KH NL SUBJECT: POTENTIAL SALE OF DRENT GOEBEL PRESS TO THE DPRK: DUTCH REACTION REF: STATE 71889 Classified By: Economic Section Chief Karen Enstrom Reasons 1.4 (b and d) ¶1. (U) Econoff and Secret Service Agent John McDonough delivered reftel points June 1 to Erik Ligthart, Deputy Director of the Financial Integrity Unit, Dutch Ministry of Finance, and Ministry of Economic Affairs (MEA) officials George Bontenbal, Export Control and Strategic Goods, and Kees Jan Steenhoek, Senior Policy Advisor, Trade Policy Department. ¶2. (C) All three officials said they had not heard of the Drent Goebel case and that they would investigate further. Any Dutch reaction, Ligthart said, would have to consider the May 21 Swiss Federal Police report that questioned whether North Korea could produce Supernotes. Ligthart doubted whether it was possible to deny North Korea its sovereign right to print currency and whether the technology in the printing press was subject to controls -- in which case, the decision to discourage the export would have to be political. ¶3. (C) Bontenbal confirmed Ligthart's concerns and said absent any "strategic" technology in the presses, there would be no straightforward legal means to restrict the export. He explained that a Dutch connection must exist, such as the use of Drent Goebel presses in the Netherlands, before the GONL could take action. He agreed to verify whether Drent Goebel's Netherlands headquarters was more than just a "financial or tax construction," in which case the GONL could talk to management. He added that the MEA would investigate through their export control enforcement channels and follow up with Post regarding any substantive information found or actions taken. GALLAGHER