US embassy cable - 03THEHAGUE2310

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 THE HAGUE 002310 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/09/2013 
TAGS: EU, PREL, NL, UNHRC-1, OSCE 
SUBJECT: DUTCH MFA ON GYMNICH, MEPP, AND IRAQ 
 
REF: A. A. SECSTATE 250490 
     B. B. THE HAGUE 02227 
 
Classified By: Classified by Political Counselor Mary E. Daly for reaso 
ns 1.5 (b and d) 
 
1. (C) Summary: PolCouns and PolOff met with MFA Director for 
Political Affairs Jaap Werner and Deputy Director Joop 
Wijnands on September 9 to discuss the results of the 
September 5-6 EU Foreign Ministers Gymnich meeting.  Werner 
termed the September 2-3 visit of PM Balkenende and FM de 
Hoop Scheffer to Washington very productive.  Wijnands, who 
attended the Gymnich meeting, confirmed that the main topics 
discussed were the Middle East peace process (MEPP), Iraq, 
and the InterGovernmental Conference (IGC). Discussion of the 
European Security Strategy (ESS) was limited as there was 
already broad consensus on the approach (Ref B).  In asking 
them about Gymnich, the Dutch took the opportunity to discuss 
Middle East policy more broadly.  Wijnands said "everyone is 
worried" about the MEPP, and there is a high degree of EU 
consensus on the issue.  According to Wijnands, EU countries 
see Arafat as both part of the problem, as well as part of 
the solution.  On Iraq, France and Germany restated their 
previous positions.  There was however a different atmosphere 
from previous meetings, with Germany agreeing with the UK 
that the transfer of authority should not be rushed. 
Wijnands felt that in order to arrive at an EU consensus on 
the Iraq resolution, there need only be small adjustments in 
terminology and the role of the UN.  While the Dutch 
acknowledged the need for a unified command under the U.S., 
Werner offered the additional idea of a proportional, 
sectoral approach to multinational and U.S. involvement. 
Werner also noted a prospective visit of FM de Hoop Scheffer 
to the region at the end of September.  End Summary. 
 
PM Balkenende and FM de Hoop Scheffer's Visit to Washington 
--------------------------------------------- --------------- 
 
2. (C) PolCouns and PolOff met with MFA Director for 
Political Affairs Jaap Werner and Deputy Director Joop 
Wijnands on September 9 to discuss the results of the 
September 5-6 EU Foreign Ministers Gymnich meeting.  Werner 
described the September 2-3 visit of PM Balkenende and FM de 
Hoop Scheffer to Washington as "very good, very productive." 
Werner felt that the visit was very well-timed, referring to 
the "opening up of Iraq" to UN and multinational involvement. 
 Both Werner and Wijnands lamented the cynical bias of the 
Dutch press prior to the visit. 
 
MEPP 
---- 
 
3. (C) Wijnands, who attended the Gymnich meeting, said the 
two main foreign policy topics were the Middle East peace 
process (MEPP) and Iraq. Discussion of the European Security 
Strategy (ESS) was limited as there was already broad 
consensus on the EU approach (Ref B).  Wijnands said 
"everyone is worried" about the MEPP, and that the 
resignation of Abbas, which took place during the meeting, 
added to concerns.  He said it was clear at Gymnich that EU 
countries see Arafat as part of the problem, and also part of 
the solution.  The EU does not see sidelining Arafat as a 
real option, and believe it important to keep Arafat involved 
at some level.  The feeling at Gymnich was that without the 
blessing of Arafat, there will be no solution.  That said, 
there is no clear line on how the EU plans to deal with 
Arafat.  There is an understanding that Solana cannot go 
around Arafat, but that EU member states should be "very 
modest" in their contact.  Werner mentioned that FM de Hoop 
Scheffer plans to go to the Middle East at the end of 
September, but that his itinerary is not set at this time. 
 
4. (C) The Dutch believe the risk of Israel exiling Arafat is 
"clearly there," and they are looking to the U.S. to help 
prevent Arafat's exile.  (Note: This discussion took place 
prior to Israel's announced intention to remove Arafat.)  He 
said there is also the question of how much the U.S. will 
invest in Qurei as the new Palestinian Authority Prime 
Minister, if he is approved by the Palestinian Parliament, 
particularly after investing so much in Abbas.  Wijnands said 
the upcoming Quartet meeting was an opportunity to reenergize 
the commitment to the MEPP, and expressed concern that "not 
enough on a daily basis" was being done for the MEPP in 
general.  Wijnands said there is no division within the EU on 
the Middle East.  The EU had delivered on the Hamas 
designation, which Wijnands said was "not so hard" because 
"everyone saw it as a necessary step."  At the same time, 
Europeans feel it is very important not to seem to be 
condoning Israel's use of targeted assassinations against 
Hamas. 
 
5. (C) Wijnands said there was agreement among EU members 
that viable alternatives need to be explored to jump start 
the MEPP, such as considering earlier elections or a peace 
conference.  However, there are problems with both.  Wijnands 
said earlier elections would only favor Arafat and Hamas. 
Similarly, he questioned whether a peace conference would 
help "get everything on track" if held at an earlier date, as 
the Road Map calls for the conference to be held only after 
everything is moving forward.  The Dutch are concerned that 
decisions made at an earlier conference would be difficult to 
implement if overall conditions had not improved. 
 
Iraq 
---- 
 
6. (C) On Iraq, France and Germany restated their position, 
supporting the transfer of authority to the Iraqi people and 
an increased UN role.  There was however a different 
atmosphere from previous meetings, with Germany agreeing with 
the UK that the transfer of authority should not be rushed. 
Wijnands believes there is increasing consensus among the EU 
Foreign Ministers as they work toward an agreement on the new 
resolution.  He felt that in order to arrive at such an EU 
consensus, there needs only to be small adjustments in 
terminology and the role of the UN. 
 
7. (C) According to Wijnands, the language in the resolution 
should emphasize the current interim phase in Iraq, 
specifically addressing the transfer of authority and the 
expanded role of the UN.  He said there was a realization 
that the only way to proceed in Iraq is under a unified 
command led by the U.S.  Werner thought there should be a 
study of the various sectors in Iraq, such as water and 
sanitation to determine what needs to be done, what the U.S. 
role needs to be, and if that role can be phased out.  He 
believes that the "mixture of control" is important.  In some 
sectors, Werner suggested the U.S. and UN maintain primary 
control, whereas in others, a phasing in of other countries 
to proportionally share the burden may be the best approach. 
 
 
SOBEL