US embassy cable - 04THEHAGUE2871

C O N F I D E N T I A L THE HAGUE 002871 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EUR/UBI/HOLLIDAY AND EUR/ERA/VOLKER 
USEU FOR PATRICIA LERNER 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/05/2014 
TAGS: EAID, PREL, KN, NL, WFP 
SUBJECT: DUTCH VIEWS ON U.S.-EU DPRK HUMANITARIAN AID 
DISCUSSIONS 
 
REF: 229053 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Clifford M. Sobel for reasons 1.4 B, D. 
 
1.  (C) Emboffs met with Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs 
Director for Humanitarian Affairs Joost Andriesson and DPRK 
desk officer Robert Dressen. They thanked emboffs for sharing 
reftel talking points and welcomed the possibility of further 
discussions on humanitarian assistance to North Korea.  A 
director-level EU troika will visit Pyongyang November 13-16, 
2004.  In addition to nuclear issues, human rights, economic 
reforms and inter-Korean relations, at Dutch request they 
will also raise humanitarian assistance monitoring. The 
troika will emphasize the importance of UN consolidated 
appeals, coordinated humanitarian aid, better monitoring and 
free access and movement by NGOs. 
 
2.  (C) The Dutch told us they routinely request greater 
humanitarian aid monitoring and access of DPRK embassy 
officials who call at the ministry.  The GONL contributes 25 
million Euros annually to the World Food Program (WFP), some 
of which goes to the DPRK for humanitarian relief operations. 
 Andriesson told us he consistently dangles additional, 
bi-lateral humanitarian relief funds before his DPRK 
interlocutors but explains North Korea is not eligible for 
this money because of their governance, monitoring and access 
shortcomings. Just like with U.S. officials, DPRK officers 
typically respond with gratitude, yet cordially stress their 
desire for bi-lateral development assistance over 
multi-lateral humanitarian aid. 
 
3.  (C) Andriesson shared some of his insights on the North 
Koreans.  He told us that EU heads of missions in the DPRK 
believe the North Koreans do not distinguish between 
international aid distribution staff and monitors:  all 
expatriates involved in the distribution of humanitarian 
assistance in the DPRK are considered to be monitoring. 
Furthermore, he thinks the Flood Damage Rehabilitation 
Committee staff are, on the whole, sympathetic to calls for 
greater monitoring and access, but that they are constrained 
by political decision makers in Pyongyang. 
SOBEL