NETHERLANDS/GAERC: DUTCH VIEWS ON BALKANS, BURMA,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 THE HAGUE 000137

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR EUR/WE, EUR/ERA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL EU NL
SUBJECT: NETHERLANDS/GAERC: DUTCH VIEWS ON BALKANS, BURMA,
AFRICA

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED. PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY.


1. (SBU) Summary: Kosovo's imminent declaration of
independence dominated the GONL briefing in preparation for
the February 18 GAERC. Dutch MFA Deputy EU Correspondent
Rochus Pronk briefed allies February 13 on Dutch views
regarding Kosovo, Serbia and SAA, Burma, Africa, the Middle
East, Iran, the European Neighborhood Policy, and the
Economic Partnership Agreement. End summary.

KOSOVO
--------------


2. (SBU) Pronk said most are speculating that February 17
will be the declaration of independence (DI),and suggested
the EU was taking a "wait and see approach." He said the
Presidency is currently working on a formula or statement --
a "platform" -- that will take into account all national
positions and procedures, and therefore allowing EU member
states to recognize once they are able.


3. (SBU) Pronk said the Dutch will not be one of the first to
recognize, noting that the Dutch still have concerns
regarding the declaration and constitution, as well as how
the Kosovar government implements measures to protect ethnic
minorities "on the ground." He acknowledged that a prolonged
examination of how minorities were treated was not
sustainable. In essence, the Dutch intend to look at how
closely the declaration and constitution match the Ahtisaari
Plan, coupled with the first few weeks of how minorities are
treated by the Kosovar authorities prior to any recognition,
Pronk said.


4. (SBU) Pronk said the last document likely to be adopted by
the EU on Kosovo is the operational plan, which will allow
for the deployment of the ESDP mission following a DI -- this
document will be on the GAERC agenda. He noted that KFOR
will remain in Kosovo, which is extremely important from the
Dutch perspective to ensure the stability of Kosovo following
a DI.


5. (SBU) Pronk acknowledged that the Dutch recognition
process will be time-consuming. Following approval by the
Council of the Kingdom, the Queen, and the Council of
Ministers, the GONL will inform the Dutch Parliament of its
decision. Pronk expected a contentious debate in parliament,
especially as many parliamentarians have been examining the
legal basis of an independence declaration. In that regard,
the GONL hoped to obtain broad parliamentary support for its
decision -- which has yet to be decided. FM Verhagen will
appear before Parliament February 14 to discuss Kosovo.

SERBIA
--------------


6. (SBU) Pronk said the EU political dialogue agreement with
Serbia remains "on the table," but has not been signed due to
the political crisis in Belgrade. He noted that the
disparate parties in Belgrade appear to have found a
temporarily common focus point with regard to the impending
Kosovar DI, but these political processes must "play out."
He also suggested that Serbian leadership would likely have
responded in the same fashion to SAA as it did to the
political dialogue agreement, which would have proven
"embarrassing" for the EU if SAA had been offered and
momentarily ignored -- from that perspective, it was
reassuring to know that the Dutch had not been "proven
wrong," Pronk said.


7. (SBU) Regarding the Dutch insistence on ICTY
conditionality, Pronk said the GONL still does not understand
how it became isolated on this issue; "surely, other member
states recognize the atrocities Mladic and Karadzic have
committed." He emphasized that much attention has been
placed on getting Mladic to The Hague, perhaps because Mladic
was viewed as the "easier of the two" to capture.
Nevertheless, Karadzic's apprehension also remains important
from the Dutch perspective.

BURMA
--------------


8. (SBU) Pronk noted that the Netherlands, the UK, and
Ireland had placed Burma on the GAERC agenda. He did not
expect much discussion on Burma, except perhaps continued
support of EU sanctions. Pronk noted that the upcoming
referendum and elections in 2010 would be meaningless if the
opposition was not allowed to participate. The GONL believes

THE HAGUE 00000137 002 OF 002


UN SYG Ban Ki-Moon should travel to Burma as soon as possible.

AFRICA
--------------


9. (SBU) Pronk said the Dutch are very concerned about Kenya,
and support the efforts of former UN SYG Koffi Annan. Pronk
noted that Dutch Development Minister Bert Koenders had
recently visited Kenya, and had pledged 150,000 euros to
Annan's secretariat, and another one million euros to assist
internally displaced persons (IDPs). Pronk said the EU is
not ready to impose visa restrictions similar to ones imposed
by the USG, but added that if Annan felt such restrictions
were warranted, then the EU should take a "hard look at
them," as well.


10. (SBU) On Chad, Pronk noted the "worrisome developments,"
but added that the deployment of the EUFOR mission to Chad
has resumed. He said the early deployment of EUFOR is
essential, especially in terms of finding a regional
solution. In that respect, Pronk noted that Sudan was not on
the agenda, but could not imagine a discussion on Chad
without also discussing Sudan. He said the Dutch were still
examining possible ways to contribute toward the EUFOR
mission to Chad.

MIDDLE EAST
--------------


11. (SBU) Pronk expected a brief discussion on the Middle
East, and noted that Dutch FM Verhagen had just returned from
the region. While Pronk expected no new developments during
the GAERC, he reiterated that Verhagen had returned
enthusiastic regarding prospects for carrying out the
Annapolis process.

IRAN
--------------


12. (SBU) Pronk suggested the Council will not spend much
time on Iran, especially as prospects for a third round of UN
sanctions "look promising." He noted that the EU would
prefer the UN take the lead on Iran, with the EU offering
support once new sanctions are announced.

ENP
---


13. (SBU) Pronk said the GONL supports the Commission's
conclusions regarding reinforcing the European Neighborhood
Policy (ENP),but added that differentiation is important
with the ENP -- "one size should not fit all." He said the
GONL welcomes efforts by Israel, Ukraine, and Morocco to
strengthen their relationships with the EU, but was clear
this should not be confused as a possible "stepping stone"
toward EU membership -- "these are separate and distinct."

EPA
---


14. (SBU) The GONL supports the continuation of Economic
Partnership Agreement (EPA) negotiations, but believes the
Commission should realistically assess prospects for each
region, including especially Central and West Africa. The
Dutch believe it is also important for Association of
Caribbean States (ACS) countries to clearly articulate in
what manner they wish to enter the EPA process.
Gallagher