VZCZCXYZ0781
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHTC #0227/01 0661318
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 061318Z MAR 08
FM AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1197
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT 0236
RUEHDM/AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS 0332
RUEHPS/USOFFICE PRISTINA 0668

UNCLAS THE HAGUE 000227 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL EU NL
SUBJECT: NETHERLANDS/GAERC: DUTCH VIEWS 
 
REF: STATE 22352 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED.  PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY. 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Post delivered reftel points to key Dutch 
MFA contacts on March 6, 2008.  On March 5, Dutch MFA 
Senior Policy Officer Jeroen Boender briefed EU diplomats 
and allies on Dutch views of the March 10-11 GAERC agenda, 
including the Western Balkans, the Middle East, Zimbabwe, 
Georgia, Iran, Afghanistan, climate change, Doha 
negotiations, and financial market instability.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
WESTERN BALKANS: 
---------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) On the Western Balkans, the Dutch remain concerned 
about potential Serbian attacks on western embassies and 
will encourage the GAERC to underline Serbia's obligation 
to protect diplomats.  In addition, the Dutch are concerned 
about Serbian political and media statements that may 
aggravate tensions.  To date, there have been no attacks on 
the Dutch embassy in Belgrade.  The MFA has received mixed 
signals about the plans of Serbia's ambassador in the 
Hague.  Nonetheless, the Dutch believe the GAERC 
conclusions will reaffirm the January offer to engage with 
Serbia. 
 
THE MIDDLE EAST: 
---------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) On the Middle East, the Dutch are concerned about 
the 
escalation of violence in Gaza.  The missile attacks should 
cease, but Israel's response should be proportional.  It is 
not helpful to have one-sided condemnations of Israel. 
Events show the importance of continuing the efforts of the 
Annapolis conference and the EU will continue to support 
this effort.  In Lebanon, the Dutch expect an Arab League 
summit in Damascus in late March and hope the conference 
will support a resolution of the conflict.  The Dutch 
believe the West should continue to engage Syria, "like it 
or not," because of Syria's influence in Lebanon.  The 
Dutch look forward to a report from Mr. Solana on his trip 
to the region. 
 
ZIMBABWE: 
--------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) On Zimbabwe, the Dutch expect the GAERC to 
reaffirm EU policy, waiting until after the March 29 
elections to take further steps. 
 
GEORGIA: 
-------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) On Georgia, the Dutch hope to "quicken the pace" 
of Georgian reforms.  At the same time, the Dutch are 
"hesitant" to accept the proposed free trade and visa 
liberalization agreements and want to move "step by step." 
 
IRAN: 
----- 
 
¶6. (SBU) On Iran, the Dutch see the UNSC resolution and 
UNSC unity as positive signs.  Iran cannot deny this signal 
from the international community.  The Dutch would like to 
see quick and robust implementation of the sanctions by the 
EU.  But while restrictions on individuals are easy to 
enact, some of the broader bans on banks will be difficult 
to approve in Brussels. 
 
AFGHANISTAN: 
------------ 
 
¶7. (SBU) On Afghanistan, the Dutch welcome the fact that 
the police mission will soon be operational, and would like 
to see the deployment expanded to all of Afghanistan.  The 
Dutch are considering a contribution to the mission but are 
concerned about human rights.  The Dutch parliament has 
expressed concern about the death sentence for a journalist 
who merely downloaded material from the Internet. 
 
PAKISTAN: 
--------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) On Pakistan, the Dutch expect little time for 
debating Pakistan but note that the conclusions are likely 
to follow the Dutch position, noting the competitive 
aspects of the recent elections while expressing concern 
about the irregularities.  Dutch aid to Pakistan, with the 
exception of humanitarian programs, is currently frozen. 
 
CLIMATE CHANGE: 
--------------- 
 
¶9. (SBU) Regarding climate change, the Dutch welcome the 
new EU report on climate change and security, but have only 
recently received the draft.  The Dutch hope for strong 
involvement of all members in preparing a package on 
climate change and energy by June, 2009.  The Dutch believe 
the effort should be linked to other global initiatives on 
climate change. 
 
DOHA: 
----- 
 
¶10. (SBU) With regard to Doha, the Dutch expect the GAERC 
conclusions to be procedural in nature but hope for a 
"balanced and ambitious" result by the end of 2008.  The 
Dutch expect ministerial-level negotiations in April, but 
there is "lots of work to do." 
 
FINANCIAL: 
---------- 
 
¶11. (SBU) Regarding instability in the financial markets, 
the Dutch want to ensure any new, stricter market rules are 
balanced with support for innovation. 
Schofer