NETHERLANDS: ASSESSMENT OF JORDAN-ONLY RED SEA

UNCLAS THE HAGUE 000498 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/RA JILL SHAUNFIELD AND NEA/IPA KARLENE FRELICH, AMMAN FOR MANU BHALLA, TEL AVIV FOR PAUL ROHRLICH E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SENV PREL IS JO NL KWBG SUBJECT: NETHERLANDS: ASSESSMENT OF JORDAN-ONLY RED SEA DEVELOPMENT PROJECT REF: STATE 78652 (SBU) ECONOFF delivered reftel talking points on July 30 to Lisa Bakels, Policy Officer for Jordan in the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). Bakels subsequently contacted David Kuijper, a Dutch official in Washington at the World Bank,s Office of the Executive Director responsible for the Netherlands and Israel (among other countries). Kuijper advised that after consultations with Jordanian and World Bank officials close to the project, his office initially was optimistic that "if designed wisely," the Jordan Red Sea Development Project (JRSDP) could be a "valuable contribution" to the World Bank,s ongoing Red Sea-Dead Sea Conveyance Project (RDS). However, Kuijper,s office and the Dutch MFA remain guarded in their optimism, given the continuing lack of detail from Jordanian authorities on their JRSDP plan. If the project is not designed properly, Kuijpers and his Bank colleagues fear that the JRSDP could "endanger the viability" of the RDS. According to Bakels, the MFA continues to press the Jordanians for more information on the technical details of their plan; the MFA has emphasized to the Jordanians that it is vital that they "openly discuss all details of the JRSDP with the other players in the RDS." Bakels committed to advise ECONOFF when the Dutch have more information and "are in a better position to judge the consequences" of the JRSDP. LEVIN