US embassy cable - 04THEHAGUE1713

UNCLAS THE HAGUE 001713 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR NP/MNA, AC/ISN AND VC/FO, GENEVA FOR AMB. SANDERS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PARM, KNNP, NL, NPT 
SUBJECT: NPT:  DUTCH VIEWS ON PREPCOM III 
 
REF: STATE 144404 
 
1. (SBU)  PolMilOff discussed reftel points with MFA 
Nonproliferation policy officer Harman van Dijk on July 8. 
Van Dijk attended PrepCom III in New York.  The Dutch 
consider the PrepCom to have been fairly successful.  Like 
the U.S. they had no expectation of achieving consensus on 
substantive recommendations for the RevCon.  Van Dijk said 
the GONL had two priorities going into the PrepCom:  to see 
agreement on as many procedural recommendations as possible, 
including on the agenda, and to have a serious debate to 
clarify various countries' positions going into the RevCon. 
On disarmament, van Dijk said the Dutch found the 
presentations by A/S Rademaker, as well as by the UK 
delegation, very useful.  Nevertheless, he noted certain 
other countries reacted with polemical views, i.e., "until 
the last one is gone you haven't fulfilled Article VI."  He 
also said that some other countries expressed doubts as to 
whether the Moscow Treaty would result in actual disarmament, 
or mere storing of nuclear weapons "on the shelf." 
 
2. (SBU) Van Dijk thought there was a good discussion on 
diversion of nuclear materials intended for peaceful 
purposes, with the Iranian and North Korean cases as 
particular causes for concern.  The GONL considers it 
important that signature of Comprehensive Safeguards 
Agreement and an Additional Protocol have been accepted by 
the U.S. and EU countries as the de facto standard for 
verification.  He noted that a number of countries spoke out 
in favor of making this a condition of supply of nuclear 
materials.  Van Dijk said the GONL is looking forward to 
discussing some of the President's February 11 proposals in 
more detail.  In general, while the GONL doubts that much can 
be achieved at the RevCon on disarmament, there is a 
significant opportunity for progress on nonproliferation 
given the pressing Iran and North Korea examples.  Van Dijk 
said he expected there will be a lot of attention on the 
RevCon, so it is important to have a good public result. 
SOBEL