NETHERLANDS/UNGA: DUTCH CONFIRM EU CONSIDERING

C O N F I D E N T I A L THE HAGUE 000571 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/20/2019 TAGS: PREL UNGA NL IR SUBJECT: NETHERLANDS/UNGA: DUTCH CONFIRM EU CONSIDERING WALKOUT REDLINES REF: A. SECSTATE 97566 ¶B. THE HAGUE 548 Classified By: POLECON Counselor Andrew C. Mann for reasons 1.5(b,d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: EU political directors have agreed to use common language to respond to offensive statements by President Ahmadinejad during the UNGA high-level event. The Dutch support U.S. redlines and are urging EU agreement on common redlines. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) Post sent reftel A points to Peter van der Vliet, MFA Deputy Director for IFI and UN affairs, and to Carola van Rijnsoever, MFA Director for Political Affairs and EU Correspondent. Van Rijnsoever forwarded U.S. views directly to the Dutch Director General for Political Affairs, Pieter de Gooijer (P equivalent),and relayed De Gooijer's response back to Post. De Gooijer noted that FM Verhagen had been urging EU counterparts to support common language on election irregularities and offensive comments (see also reftel B, with FM Verhagen urging an EU deadline for an Iranian response on the nuclear portfolio). De Gooijer further indicated that EU political directors have agreed to use common language to respond to offensive statements by President Ahmadinejad during the UNGA high-level event -- however, the text of the common response has not been worked out. ¶3. (C) The Dutch will push for EU agreement on when to leave UNGA should Ahmadinejad make offensive statements. De Gooijer agreed with U.S. redlines, but the EU has not reached consensus on that issue. De Gooijer indicated he had no information on a possible response to offensive comments by Libya's President Qadhafi. LEVIN