NETHERLANDS/IRAN: A YOUNG DIPLOMAT,S REPORT FROM

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 THE HAGUE 000677 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/03/2019 TAGS: IR NL PHUM PREL SUBJECT: NETHERLANDS/IRAN: A YOUNG DIPLOMAT,S REPORT FROM TEHRAN REF: THE HAGUE 91 Classified By: PolEcon Counselor Andrew C. Mann for reasons 1.5(b,d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: A junior Dutch diplomat working in Tehran gave Post her views on human rights, the economy, public diplomacy, and diplomatic life in Tehran. Most notably, Iran is now arresting family members of dissidents. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) HUMAN RIGHTS: On November 3, Kim De Jong, Dutch Economic, Press, and Cultural attach at the Dutch Embassy in Tehran, briefed Post about her first two months working in Iran. De Jong also follows human rights. Recently, the Embassy has been extremely busy preparing a classified human rights report at the request of EU foreign ministers; the report is updated every 4 to 6 weeks. On the streets of Tehran, demonstrations are planned for November 4, with more to come in the next weeks. However, since she arrived in Tehran, De Jong noticed a drop in nightly shouts of protest against the regime. Moreover, authorities are now arresting family members of demonstrators and dissidents to increase pressure against them. One dissident had 12 family members arrested. De Jong believes the Iranian people take a longer-term view on the protest and prospects for reform. She added that the Embassy consulted the Iranian winner of this year's "Dutch Human Rights Defenders Tulip Award" (Ms. Shadi Sadr) before she was announced to ensure she could accept the award -- Ms. Sadr is outside of Iran, making it easier for her to be in The Hague to accept the prize. ¶3. (C) ECONOMY: De Jong said the Iranian government's privatization efforts are "false." After the government lists companies for sale to the private sector, the companies are purchased by the Revolutionary Guard to maintain government control. For example, De Jong heard the Guard completed an 8 billion dollar deal to purchase Iranian Telecom after only a 30-minute discussion. Dutch trade promotion activities are prohibited under a 2007 rule, and yet the Embassy gets a lot of business questions. Iran is among the top 20 nations when ranked according to the number of trade inquiries received by the Dutch government. De Jong attributed the large number of questions to the complexity of EU, UN, and U.S. sanctions. Despite trade restrictions, De Jong said she could find anything she needed in Iranian stores. Anecdotally, however, a Dutch milk producer told De Jong that half of all milk in Iran is "unprocessed," suggesting limited prosperity outside Tehran. ¶4. (C) PUBLIC DIPLOMACY: De Jong said she had little opportunity to work with the press. Most Iranians, she believes, turn to satellite news from the BBC and American networks, rather than relying on the government-controlled press. Public outreach has been difficult due to the government's controls. For example, the Dutch tried to organize a charity event at a hospital in the spring of 2009, only to have it canceled by a last-minute telephone call from a "friend" warning not to proceed. The Dutch organized a successful photography exhibit, partnering with the Afghan Embassy and using Dutch pictures from Uruzgan, and the exhibit received favorable coverage in the local press. Most events held by the Dutch are held discreetly, often at the Embassy to avoid the risk of cancellation by anonymous callers. At such gatherings, de Jong said she has felt the "tension" among Iranian and expatriates, and an "appreciation" of the refuge the Embassy provides (Note: Presumably tension over government crackdowns and security apparatus, and appreciation to be at least partially free of Qapparatus, and appreciation to be at least partially free of government scrutiny. End Note.) ¶5. (C) DIPLOMATIC LIFE IN TEHRAN: According to de Jong, Dutch diplomats have not been harassed in Tehran because the Embassy is located in the northern part of the city. Local citizens there are friendly towards the international community. De Jong contrasted that with the treatment of the UK Embassy, which is located in the middle of downtown, and Iranian authorities harassed the British diplomats in many ways, including limiting parking. The Dutch have had problems obtaining visas to Iran, and Iranians have the same trouble in The Netherlands; the process is lengthy and retaliatory. De Jong, in fact, is waiting for a visa for her husband, and the Iranians have made clear they want to trade visas. The Dutch have refused. On the consular front, De Jong reported there are no new developments in Dutch trials in Iran (i.e., the Mansouri case, reftel). De Jong commented that initially a posting at the Dutch Embassy in Tehran seemed important and luxurious -- housing is very nice and she drives everywhere -- but the Dutch community is very small and there is no real way of escaping the city. Heavy traffic, noise and disruption caused by nighttime construction (required because of daytime traffic),and heavy pollution all harm morale. THE HAGUE 00000677 002 OF 002 LEVIN