NETHERLANDS/EU: DUTCH VIEWS ON THE JUNE GAERC

UNCLAS THE HAGUE 000340 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL EU NL SUBJECT: NETHERLANDS/EU: DUTCH VIEWS ON THE JUNE GAERC AGENDA REF: A. GIAUQUE EMAIL 06-04-2009 ¶B. MANN-FLACKS EMAIL 06-10-2009 ¶C. THE HAGUE 307 SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED. PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY. ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY/BACKGROUND: The Dutch views on the economic crisis, EU institutions, climate change negotiations, Russia-Ukraine gas, the Western Balkans, the Middle East Peace Process, Syria, Cuba, and Sudan are described in the following paragraphs. MFA officials Rochus Pronk and Peter Jan Kleiweg briefed local diplomats on June 10 (views below). Post conveyed Department's priorities (ref A) to Pronk and other key contacts at the MFA. Post will separately submit a summary of the MFA's June letter to parliament on the GAERC agenda. END SUMMARY/BACKGROUND. ¶2. (SBU) VIEWS FROM THE DUTCH MFA STAFF: -- Economic Crisis: The Dutch welcomed news that EU stimulus efforts will reach 5% of GDP (Note: This refers to the provisional conclusions of the June 8-9 ECOFIN meeting. End Note.) During the meeting of the European Council June 18-19, PM Balkenende will call for members to keep in mind, as they respond to the crisis, their obligation to manage their budgets properly. Ministers will likely take up the situation of Latvia, which may require additional budget support. The Dutch were pleased to see Iceland meeting deposit guarantees, which otherwise would be a difficult issue when Iceland submits its EU membership application later this summer. -- EU institutions: The Dutch previously announced their support for another term for European Commission President Barroso. -- Climate Change Negotiations: The Dutch continue to aim for "ambitious" results. -- Russia-Ukraine gas: The European Council will take up PM Putin's proposal that the EU provide 5 billion euros for Ukraine to purchase Russian gas to build up its reserves. As well as the political and economic ramifications of this idea, the EU would have to address legal and institutional issues involved in providing such significant assistance to a non-EU member. The EU is sending a fact-finding mission to Ukraine to learn more. -- Western Balkans: The Dutch continue to oppose closer EU ties with Serbia and Croatia until those nations fully cooperate with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY). Recent reports by ICTY prosecutor Brammertz have shown some progress, but not full cooperation. Regarding the Slovenia-Croatia dispute, the Dutch see the matter as a bilateral concern but will support efforts by the parties to resolve the matter. The Dutch "will not take sides." Regarding Bosnia, the majority of the Dutch parliament supports an EU Stabilization and Association Agreement. Ministers in Brussels will take up the issue of how to meet the "5 2" criteria and subsequently close the Office of the High Representative. -- Middle East Peace Process: FM Verhagen will brief the Dutch parliament June 11, noting that there has been a lot of movement in the region, with the speech by President Obama, travel by Special Envoy Mitchell, and the upcoming speech by PM Netanyahu. Verhagen will encourage the parliament to be prepared to support a final status agreement. -- Syria: The Dutch would like to see more progress on human rights and democracy efforts before approving a EU-Syria association agreement. -- Cuba: The Dutch support continued political dialogue with Q-- Cuba: The Dutch support continued political dialogue with Cuba as approved by the EU in 2008, but the Dutch would like to see a clear evaluation of the results in 2010. So far the results have been mixed. Final language on renewing the EU's common position will likely be approved at the ministerial level rather than among civil servants. -- Sudan: The Dutch have circulated a non-paper on Sudan (ref B). The Dutch are concerned that the situation is not improving, and have asked for the EU to make this a "full agenda" item. The Dutch expect a larger debate during the next GAERC meeting. GALLAGHER