US embassy cable - 03THEHAGUE2560

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 THE HAGUE 002560 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PHUM, NL, OSCE 
SUBJECT: OSCE:  DUTCH PLANS FOR MAASTRICHT 
 
REF: THE HAGUE 2508 
 
1.  Summary:  In a meeting with visiting Dept. OSCE 
Coordinator Doug Wake, Dutch OSCE CiO Personal Representative 
Daan Everts stressed that the GoNL is looking ahead to a 
successful OSCE Ministerial December 1-2.  To add to GoNL 
efforts throughout 2003, the Dutch are pushing hard for the 
Secretary's participation in the ministerial.  Foreign 
 
SIPDIS 
Minister de Hoop Scheffer will remain in the office through 
the end of the ministerial.  FM-designee Bot will take office 
either late December 2 or on December 3.  Everts anticipates 
an agreement to hold a distinct follow-on anti-Semitism 
meeting in Berlin, although working level contacts insist 
that some EU members still oppose such a meeting.  Contacts 
also provided Wake with Dutch thoughts in the lead-up to the 
annual Human Dimension Implementation Meeting (HDIM) in 
Warsaw.  End summary. 
 
2.  Doug Wake, Dept. OSCE Coordinator, met with CiO Personal 
Representative Daan Everts in the Hague on September 29. 
Everts highlighted Dutch thinking in the lead-up to the OSCE 
Ministerial meeting in Maastricht.  He believes both the 
meeting and the Ministerial documents will come together 
well, although he acknowledged that some work remains to be 
done to add additional substance to strategy for addressing 
the "threats to security and stability in the 21st century." 
 Everts and Wake agreed that practical steps to implement the 
Action Plan on trafficking in persons, adopted by the OSCE 
Permanent Council in July 2003, should be one of the most 
substantive and practical outcomes of Maastricht.  Everts 
said that he envisioned a new "coordinating mechanism" -- 
involving a senior official with a small Vienna-based staff 
-- that would have a mandate to follow Action Plan 
implementation and make fact-finding visits to countries with 
significant implementation problems.  He stressed that there 
would be some budgetary implication to establishing such a 
mechanism and agreed that its functions should be oriented 
toward providing advice and coordinating assistance as well 
as identifying and highlighting problems.  While Everts said 
that work was progressing satisfactorily toward completion of 
a separate OSCE economic strategy, emphasizing such issues as 
good governance, he expressed dismay that the Russian 
delegation in Vienna had recently suggested that negotiation 
of this document could be continued into 2004.  Everts also 
asked for clarification of U.S. thoughts regarding internally 
displaced persons, restrictions on the religious freedom 
document, and HIV/AIDS.  (Note:  He confirmed these would be 
discussed at the HDIM in Warsaw, and speculated that a 
reference to HIV/AIDS might be included in the document on 
"threats to security and stability.")  He agreed that 
discussions on several major issues remain, including Moldova 
(reftel), Chechnya, and a statement on possible OSCE 
involvement peacekeeping operations.  Everts noted he is in 
close contact with both USOSCE Amb. Minikes and DAS Robert 
Bradtke, and will look for further conversations with both 
throughout the month of October. 
 
Anti-Semitism and Racism/Xenophobia 
------------------------------------ 
 
3.  Noting the particular interest of the U.S. in a follow-on 
anti-Semitism meeting, Everts stated that any problems were, 
in his opinion, solved.  "As the Germans offered to host a 
follow-on meeting, the OSCE should accept."  However, at the 
working level, OSCE Task Force Human Dimension lead Harm 
Hazewinkel stated that several EU countries still strongly 
opposed a follow-on meeting focused strictly on anti-Semitism 
rather than addressing all discrimination and tolerance 
issues.  When Wake stressed that the U.S. also supports a 
separate follow-on to the highly successful September 2003 
Vienna conference on racism and xenophobia, Hazewinkel 
advised that the easiest way for EU countries to "say yes" is 
for the U.S. to offer to host a follow-on racism conference. 
When advised that no such offer is on the table, Hazewinkel 
observed that Vienna might be an appropriate venue for 
follow-up, because the city hosts not only the OSCE but also 
an EU Monitoring Center that focuses on racism and related 
issues.  (Note:  He also mused that the Netherlands, which 
will hold the EU Presidency in the latter half of 2004, might 
consider hosting such a meeting, but he argued -- somewhat 
disingenuously -- that it might not be appropriate for the 
OSCE CiO to make such an offer.)  Whatever the schedule of 
follow-up meetings, Hazewinkel suggested that it would be 
important to draw upon the experience of the EUMC and a 
similar Council of Europe structure in developing OSCE 
mechanisms to track hate-crimes across the region.  (Note: 
Subsequent to the reported here, Amb. Minikes and Wake 
discussed the issue with the EU troika on September 30 and EU 
reps discussed it among themselves October 1 in Brussels. 
End note.) 
 
 
Participation by Secretary Powell 
---------------------------------- 
 
4.  The GoNL will soon send a letter to the Secretary, 
formally requesting his participation in the Maastricht 
Ministerial meeting.  (Note:  The Dutch feel the Secretary's 
participation is vital to the success of Maastricht, and the 
OSCE shop is tailoring its draft opening-day schedule around 
such involvement.  End Note.) 
 
Dutch Thoughts - Human Dimension Implementation Meeting 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
 
5.  Harm Hazewinkel summarized Dutch concerns for the HDIM. 
The Dutch will watch four issues closely:  Roma/Sinti, 
Migrant workers, election standards, and 
Racism/Anti-Semitism/Xenophobia (see para 3).  On 
Romat/Sinti, the Dutch are keen to have a tangible good for 
Maastricht, and will push hard at the HDIM to bring the 
Roma/Sinti NGOs to accept that the Action Plan is important 
for them.  If the Roma/Sinti do not accept this, the Dutch 
are convinced that all efforts to date will fail in the long 
run.  The GoNL therefore views the HDIM as a the last chance 
for any necessary changes to the Action Plan.  On election 
standards, Hazewinkel stated that member states must ensure 
that any presented document not lower standards than to which 
the international community already agrees, and will watch to 
ensure that any agreed language is not detrimental to 
existing international standards.  Finally, he said, the GoNL 
firmly believes that the issue of migrant workers does belong 
in the OSCE.  (In saying so, therefore siding with Turkey 
instead of EU colleague Germany.)  According to Hazewinkel, 
this issue also helps to balance the OSCE's traditional focus 
on countries East of Vienna, a quieter goal of the Dutch CiO. 
SOBEL