US embassy cable - 04THEHAGUE868

S E C R E T THE HAGUE 000868 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/01/2014 
TAGS: PARM, PREL, CH, NL, EUN 
SUBJECT: DEMARCHE TO DUTCH MFA ON EU CHINA ARMS EMBARGO 
 
REF: A. STATE 68263 
 
     B. THE HAGUE 787 (NOTAL) 
     C. THE HAGUE 140 (NOTAL) 
     D. 03 THE HAGUE 3168 (NOTAL) 
 
Classified By: CLASSIFIED BY POLITICAL COUNSELOR MARY DALY FOR REASONS 
1.5 (B AND D) 
 
1. (S) PolMilOff reviewed ref A demarche with Dutch MFA 
Director for Arms Export Policy Paul van den IJssel on April 
2.  Van den IJssel stressed that the Dutch were not among the 
leaders of the initiative to lift the EU embargo. 
Nevertheless, he saw merit in the PRC argument that China 
differs from other countries that the EU maintains arms 
embargoes against such as Burma and Sudan, with their human 
rights situations, or countries involved in international 
terrorism.  Van den IJssel said the GONL agreed that China's 
human rights performance was "far from ideal," and that it 
shared U.S. concerns about possible buildup of China's 
military posture vis-a-vis Taiwan.  He again raised the EU 
Code of Conduct (refs B-D) stressing that criteria five of 
the Code addressed avoiding arms transfers that might be used 
against friendly forces.  He said that the Dutch still hope 
that a number of EU countries will support closely reviewing 
the Code to see how it could be helpful in the China context. 
 
2. (S) Van den IJssel said the GONL faced competing pressures 
on this issue including a recent unanimous resolution in the 
Dutch parliament against the lifting the embargo.  On the 
other hand, he claimed the PRC has threatened smaller EU 
countries against blocking a consensus to lift.  In this 
regard, he noted the Dutch experience in the 1980s when the 
PRC downgraded relations with the Netherlands following the 
Dutch sale of two diesel electric submarines to Taiwan.  Van 
den IJssel said the Japanese have also demarched the GONL in 
opposition to lifting the embargo.  He noted that PM 
Balkenende and FM Bot will be traveling to China on April 
5-7.  Their briefing notes reiterate points made by FM Bot to 
parliament in which he said that the Netherlands would not be 
the only EU country to block consensus on this issue. 
 
(S) Comment:  Van den IJssel stressed that the Dutch were in 
no hurry to see the embargo lifted.  While he made clear the 
GONL will not oppose a lift by itself, he expressed hope that 
other countries in the EU might be inclined to go slow on the 
issue.  End Comment. 
SOBEL