NETHERLANDS: CONSIDERING PLEDGE AT MARCH 2

UNCLAS THE HAGUE 000118 SIPDIS NEA/IPA FOR ANDREW LENTZ E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID PGOV PTER PHUM KPAL KWBG NL SUBJECT: NETHERLANDS: CONSIDERING PLEDGE AT MARCH 2 PALESTINIAN CONFERENCE REF: A. STATE 14575 ¶B. THE HAGUE 57 ¶1. Summary: The Government of the Netherlands (GONL) is considering a pledge of humanitarian assistance at the March 2 Palestinian conference in Sharm al-Sheikh. However, Dutch Foreign Minister Verhagen is unlikely to pledge direct budgetary assistance to the Palestinian Authority. End summary. ¶2. Dutch MFA official Michael Driessen, responsible for Peace Process issues, briefed ECONOFF February 23 about Dutch plans in Sharm. He confirmed that Foreign Minister Verhagen will attend; Development Minister Koenders may join him. (Note: Minister Koenders plans to attend the AHLC donors meeting that will follow the Sharm conference at a later date. End note.) According to Driessen, the GONL places &no conditions8 on direct humanitarian assistance to Gaza; he noted the GONL,s donation in January of 2 million euro to UNRWA and 1 million euro to the Palestinian Red Cross Society. The GONL is considering announcing further humanitarian assistance on March 2, but no decision has been made. ¶3. Driessen cautioned that, unlike humanitarian assistance, the GONL does place conditions on reconstruction and direct Palestinian Authority (PA) budget assistance, both of which are closely related. While the GONL remains fully supportive of the PA and its reconstruction goals in Gaza, the Dutch believe that a durable ceasefire must first be in place and the intra-Palestinian reconciliation process must advance before further reconstruction assistance will be effective. The GONL already contributes to PEGASE, the European Union,s instrument to provide budgetary support to the PA, including an 8.6 million euro contribution in January. In part because the GONL expects the March 2 conference to be primarily an expression of &political8 support for Gaza, and because of GONL concerns about the utility of further reconstruction assistance at this time, the GONL is unlikely to announce further PA assistance in Sharm. GALLAGHER