US embassy cable - 00THEHAGUE1929

C O N F I D E N T I A L THE HAGUE 001929 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
SECDEF FOR OSD/ISA - NATO 
JCS FOR J-5 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/27/2010 
TAGS: KPKO, PREL, MARR, ER, ET, NL, UNSC 
SUBJECT: SHIRBRIG SUPPORT FOR ETHIOPIA/ERITREA PEACE: DUTCH 
WEIGHING PARTICIPATION 
 
REF: A. SECSTATE 121009 
     B. COPENHAGEN 2465 
 
 
Classified by A/Polcouns Eric Lundberg, Reasons 1.5 b/d 
 
 
1.(C) The Dutch MFA is studying the UN military advisors 
request for Dutch a contribution to a SHIRBRIG operation in 
Ethiopia/Eritrea (refs a and b).  MFA UN Political expert 
Marjolijn van Deelen told A/Polcouns on June 26 that no Dutch 
decision will be made until a satisfactory UN mandate and 
command structure are defined.  However, Van Deelen observed 
that a prospective deployment of Dutch forces to 
Ethiopia/Eritrea was more doable than the recently-declined 
Dutch participation in UNAMSIL in Sierra Leone, since the 
former presented a more clear-cut mission that could 
reasonably remain within a Chapter VI mandate.  Another 
selling point, of course, is that SHIRBRIG commander General 
Patrick Cammaert is a Dutchman. 
 
 
2.(SBU) Discussions within the Dutch government are currently 
focused on whether participation in a Horn of Africa 
operation meet the criteria adopted by the current coalition 
in 1994 for participation in peacekeeping operations.  These 
criteria are as follows: 
 
 
-- Dutch interests served (which include international peace 
and security); 
 
 
-- Clear mandate, consistent with international law; 
 
 
-- Solidarity and credibility of international support; 
 
 
-- Evident support over the long term among participants and 
countries of the region; 
 
 
-- Dutch parliamentary and public support; 
 
 
-- Concrete objectives; 
 
 
-- Realizable objectives; 
 
 
-- Burden sharing among a PKO participants; 
 
 
-- Available Dutch military units; 
 
 
-- Clear command structure (no duel key); 
 
 
-- Satisfactory risk level; 
 
 
-- Adequate rules of engagement; 
 
 
-- Adequate (UN or other) financial support; 
 
 
-- Clear timetable for Dutch force participation. 
 
 
3.(C) Ref B notes that the Dutch will be asked to contribute, 
in priority order, an infantry battalion with engineer 
company, one role 2 medical hospital, one helicopter wing, or 
one brigade headquarters company.  Van Deelen said that the 
nature of the Dutch contribution would be determined once a 
decision to participate was made -- in other words, the 
availability or not of particular units would not determine 
the ultimate decision.  Within the next day, she said, the 
MFA would determine whether to participate in an initial 
SHIRBRIG survey mission to Ethiopia/Eritrea.  Thereafter, she 
advised, deliberations would continue within the GON on the 
question of larger Dutch participation, with the MFA UN 
Affairs department taking the lead. 
 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
 
4.(C) There does not appear to have been any MFA-MOD 
consultation on this proposal.  Notwithstanding our MFA 
contact's confidence that military commitments would follow 
political decisionmaking on Dutch deployment, mission is not 
entirely confident that the Dutch military at this moment has 
the force flexibility or budget wherewithal to deploy a 
battalion-plus force to the Horn of Africa.  End comment. 
SCHNEIDER