This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS THE HAGUE 000562 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SA/AR FOR P.HASLACH AND N.KROMASH 
EUR/UBI FOR S.HOLLIDAY 
EB/IFD/ODF 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AF EAID NL PGOV PREL
SUBJECT: AFGHANISTAN:  DUTCH PLANS FOR BERLIN CONFERENCE 
 
REF: A. STATE 47946 
 
     ¶B. THE HAGUE 02801 
     ¶C. THE HAGUE 02399 
 
¶1.     (U) EconOff delivered ref A demarche to Martin Koper, 
Director of the MFA's Peacebuilding and Good Governance 
Division, and Wouter Biesterbos, Afghan Desk Officer. 
 
¶2.     (SBU) At this time, the Dutch have no plans to 
announce new pledges for Afghanistan at the March 31 donors 
conference in Berlin.  They expect to adhere to their 
multi-year pledge schedule they announced last fall:  EUR 
17.5 million in 2004, EUR 15 million in 2005, EUR 15 million 
in 2006 (all to the ARTF).  The Netherlands will be 
represented at the Berlin conference by Minister for 
Development Cooperation Agnes Van Ardenne, MFA South Asia 
Director Wilfred Mohr, and (likely) Special Coordinator for 
Afghanistan Ronald Mollinger. 
 
¶3.     (SBU) Koper and Biesterbos noted, unofficially, that 
if the MFA has extra money at the end of the year, 
Afghanistan will be one of the best candidate countries to 
receive it.  The MFA is also consulting with its embassy in 
Kabul on what sectors it might want to target in the event 
the MFA decides to spend some of the Ministry's "Stability 
Fund" money in Afghanistan.  Whereas the traditional 
development money is over-committed, the fund, which came 
online in 2004, has about EUR 20 million still 
available/unearmarked for 2004.  The Dutch Embassy in Kabul 
has suggested the following sectors:  demining, 
demobilization, border security, and anti-drug programs (the 
latter two sectors fall just outside the Stability Fund 
guidelines but are still under review).  Comment:  No 
decisions have been made on what Afghanistan might receive 
from the Fund, and it is worth noting that the Dutch have 
significant competing peacebuilding objectives in Africa as 
well.  End Comment. 
SOBEL