VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHTC #1063 1570538
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 060538Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9365
INFO RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN PRIORITY 1710
RUEHSW/AMEMBASSY BERN PRIORITY 4083
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 1702
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 1764
RUCNSE/US SECRET SERVICE WASHDC PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L THE HAGUE 001063 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EUR/UBI (RREITER) 
STATE ALSO FOR ISN, EAP, EUR, INL 
TREASURY FOR TFI 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/05/2017 
TAGS: KNNP MNUC KS PARM PREL KH NL
SUBJECT: POTENTIAL SALE OF DRENT GOEBEL PRESS TO THE DPRK: 
DUTCH REACTION 
 
REF: STATE 71889 
 
Classified By: Economic Section Chief Karen Enstrom 
Reasons 1.4 (b and d) 
 
¶1.  (U)  Econoff and Secret Service Agent John McDonough 
delivered reftel points June 1 to Erik Ligthart, Deputy 
Director of the Financial Integrity Unit, Dutch Ministry of 
Finance, and Ministry of Economic Affairs (MEA) officials 
George Bontenbal, Export Control and Strategic Goods, and 
Kees Jan Steenhoek, Senior Policy Advisor, Trade Policy 
Department. 
 
¶2.  (C)  All three officials said they had not heard of the 
Drent Goebel case and that they would investigate further. 
Any Dutch reaction, Ligthart said, would have to consider the 
May 21 Swiss Federal Police report that questioned whether 
North Korea could produce Supernotes.  Ligthart doubted 
whether it was possible to deny North Korea its sovereign 
right to print currency and whether the technology in the 
printing press was subject to controls -- in which case, the 
decision to discourage the export would have to be political. 
 
¶3.  (C)  Bontenbal confirmed Ligthart's concerns and said 
absent any "strategic" technology in the presses, there would 
be no straightforward legal means to restrict the export.  He 
explained that a Dutch connection must exist, such as the use 
of Drent Goebel presses in the Netherlands, before the GONL 
could take action.  He agreed to verify whether Drent 
Goebel's Netherlands headquarters was more than just a 
"financial or tax construction," in which case the GONL could 
talk to management.  He added that the MEA would investigate 
through their export control enforcement channels and follow 
up with Post regarding any substantive information found or 
actions taken. 
GALLAGHER