US embassy cable - 04THEHAGUE1705

UNCLAS THE HAGUE 001705 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O.12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, NL, EU, SY, PHJM 
SUBJECT:  NETHERLANDS: RESPECTING HUMAN RIGHTS IN SYRIA 
 
REF: STATE 142629 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED; PLEASE HANDLE ACCORDINGLY. 
 
1. (SBU)  SUMMARY:  THE DUTCH, AS CURRENT EU PRESIDENT, WILL 
CONTINUE TO PURSUE A POLICY OF ENGAGEMENT WITH SYRIA TO 
ENCOURAGE IMPROVEMENTS ON HUMAN RIGHTS.  THE EU'S 
ASSOCIATION AGREEMENT WITH SYRIA HAS BEEN FINALIZED, BUT HAS 
NOT BEEN IMPLEMENTED DUE TO SYRIAN OBJECTIONS TO ITS NON- 
PROLIFERATION LANGUAGE.  THE DUTCH SPECIAL AMBASSADOR FOR 
HUMAN RIGHTS IS VISITING SYRIA AS PART OF HIS CURRENT TRIP 
THROUGH THE REGION AND WILL SEEK A POSITIVE GESTURE ON HUMAN 
RIGHTS FROM DAMASCUS.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2. (SBU) POLCOUNS DELIVERED REFTEL DEMARCHE POINTS ON 
RESPECTING HUMAN RIGHTS IN SYRIA TO MICHIEL DEN HOND, 
DIRECTOR OF THE DUTCH MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS' OFFICE OF 
NORTH AFRICAN AND MIDDLE EASTERN AFFAIRS, ON JUNE 7.  IN 
DELIVERING THE DEMARCHE, POLCOUNS STRESSED THAT THE DUTCH, 
AS CURRENT EU PRESIDENT, HAD A SPECIAL OBLIGATION TO ENSURE 
THAT THE EU TREATED RECENT SYRIAN HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES WITH 
APPROPRIATE SERIOUSNESS. 
 
2. (SBU) IN RESPONSE, DEN HOND NOTED THAT HUMAN RIGHTS 
ISSUES WERE AND WOULD REMAIN AN ISSUE FOR DISCUSSION BETWEEN 
THE EU AND SYRIA.  ALTHOUGH THE PROPOSED EU-SYRIAN 
ASSOCIATION AGREEMENT WAS CURRENTLY STALLED (PRIMARILY 
BECAUSE OF SYRIAN OBJECTIONS TO NON-PROLIFERATION LANGUAGE), 
DEN HOND ARGUED THAT IMPLEMENTING SUCH AN AGREEMENT WOULD 
GIVE THE EU ADDITIONAL MECHANISMS TO INFLUENCE THE SYRIAN 
GOVERNMENT POSITIVELY.  THE EU'S BASIC POSITION, DEN HOND 
STRESSED, IS THAT ENGAGEMENT IS GENERALLY A MORE USEFUL TOOL 
THAN ISOLATION IN SUCH CASES. 
 
3. (SBU) DEN HOND SAID THAT THE EU COMMISSION WOULD SHORTLY 
BE SENDING A REPRESENTATIVE TO SYRIA FOR DISCUSSIONS ON 
MOVING THE ASSOCIATION AGREEMENT FORWARD.  IN RESPONSE TO 
POLCOUNS' QUESTION, DEN HOND ASSERTED THAT THERE WOULD BE NO 
FURTHER NEGOTIATIONS ON THE TEXT OF THE AGREEMENT, NOTING 
THAT LANGUAGE ON HUMAN RIGHTS HAD ALREADY BEEN INCLUDED. 
 
4. (SBU) STEPPING OUT OF HIS EU ROLE, DEN HOND REAFFIRMED 
THAT THE DUTCH ALSO HAVE A NATIONAL INTEREST IN PROMOTING 
HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND ELSEWHERE.  HE NOTED 
THAT PIET DE KLERK, THE DUTCH MFA'S SPECIAL AMBASSADOR FOR 
HUMAN RIGHTS, WAS VISITING SYRIA AS PART OF HIS CURRENT TRIP 
THROUGH THE REGION; HE WOULD ALSO VISIT EGYPT, ISRAEL AND 
THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES, JORDAN, AND LEBANON.  DEN HOND 
HOPED THAT THIS VISIT MIGHT ENCOURAGE DAMASCUS TO MAKE SOME 
GESTURES IN THE HUMAN RIGHTS AREA, WHICH IN TURN WOULD ALLOW 
THE EU TO TAKE A MORE ACTIVE APPROACH TO SYRIA. 
 
SOBEL