US embassy cable - 04THEHAGUE3041

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 THE HAGUE 003041 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/18/2014 
TAGS: PREL, PHUM, PGOV, KPAL, NL, MEPI 
SUBJECT: NETHERLANDS/EU/MIDDLE EAST:  DUTCH HOPING TO 
REINVIGORATE THE PEACE PROCESS 
 
 
Classified By: AMBASSADOR CLIFFORD SOBEL FOR REASONS 1.4(B) AND (D). 
 
1. (C)  SUMMARY:  The Dutch hope to use the remaining weeks 
of their presidency to refocus the EU on the Middle East in 
order to take advantage of new opportunities.  According to 
FM Bot and the head of the MFA's Middle East section, 
providing support for the Palestinian elections it their top 
priority, but the EU also feels it would be useful to provide 
"outlines" or "parameters" of a comprehensive solution. The 
Dutch want to use the Quartet meeting on November 23 and 
other meetings scheduled over the next few weeks to 
coordinate and clarify the EU program in the lead up to the 
Palestinian elections.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2. (C) On November 15, Dutch Foreign Minister Bot told 
Ambassador Sobel that he hoped to use the remaining weeks of 
the Dutch presidency to focus the EU on the Middle East. 
Arafat's passing from the scene created real opportunities 
for progress, he said, and the EU is eager to move forward. 
Bot suggested that the EU could play a valuable role in 
supporting Palestinian elections and shoring up Palestinian 
security and economic reform efforts.  The Dutch were 
circulating draft conclusions for the November 22 GAERC 
(later e-mailed to ERA and USEU) that identified these areas 
as priorities.  Bot looked forward to discussing these ideas 
further during the Quartet meeting planned on the margins of 
the Sharm al-Shaykh meeting on November 23.  According to 
Bot, the EU should also try to build on Solana's "short- to 
mid-term" proposals to provide some "outlines" of what the 
final stage might look like.  Bot stressed that "showing 
light at the end of the tunnel" in this manner could help 
strengthen those elements on the Palestinian side supporting 
peace during the run-up to the January elections. He 
recognized that it was critical to consider Israeli interests 
in moving forward, and stated that he was trying to find an 
opportunity on his schedule to visit Israel; in any case, he 
pointed out that Israeli Foreign Minister Shalom was expected 
to be in the Hague on November 29-30 for the EUROMED meeting. 
 (Note:  A planned Sharon visit to the Hague in September was 
postponed by the Israeli side because of domestic 
developments in Israel and has not been rescheduled.) 
 
3. (C) In a separate meeting with POLCOUNS on November 18, 
Michiel den Hond, Head of the Dutch MFA's Middle East 
Department, clarified that providing immediate support to the 
Palestinian elections was the top EU Presidency priority in 
the near term.  EU support, he said, could also help shore up 
Palestinian institutions by, for example, helping to ensure 
that the Palestinian Authority was able to pay salaries. 
Ensuring that the "right" Palestinians went into the 
elections with maximum credibility was in everyone's 
interest.  It was therefore important, he said, that Israel 
also take steps (such as exercising restraint in responding 
to Palestinian terrorist attacks) to allow the post-Arafat 
Palestinian leadership to build support internally without 
having to react to Israeli actions.  POLCOUNS stressed that 
the Palestinian side also needed to take clear steps to 
reduce terrorism; den Hond did not dispute the point, but 
reiterated that in the near term the "right" Palestinian 
leaders would need all the help they could get to establish 
their legitimacy internally. 
 
4. (C) Den Hond stressed that the EU intended to coordinate 
all its actions closely with the U.S. and other actors in the 
region.  He noted that over the next month there would be 
several opportunities for consultations on the Middle East, 
including: 
 
- November 22:  GAERC (EU Foreign/Defense Ministers) in 
Brussels 
- November 22-23:  Sharm al-Shaykh meeting/Quartet 
- November 29-30:  EUROMED meeting in the Hague, including 
EU-Israel and EU-Arab Group Troikas 
- December 8:  Ad Hoc Liaison Group meeting of Donors in Oslo 
- December 10: EU-U.S. Ministerial in the Hague 
- December 11: Forum for the Future in Rabat 
- December 13: GAERC (EU Foreign Ministers) in Brussels 
- December 17: European Council Summit in Brussels 
 
5. (C) With regard to the EUROMED meeting, den Hond noted 
that the Dutch wanted to avoid the outcome of the last such 
meeting (in Dublin), where the Israeli and Palestinian Reps 
"did everything but throw plates at each other."  According 
to den Hond, the Dutch are working behind the scenes to 
ensure that both sides come to the meeting prepared to engage 
productively, and are massaging the agenda and formats to 
minimize opportunities for conflict.  Asked whether Bot would 
be traveling to Israel at some point, den Hond confirmed that 
he hoped to do so but was having trouble working it into his 
crammed presidency schedule.  As an aside, den Hond noted 
that Israeli FM Shalom and Bot had a good meeting on the 
margins of the last GYMNICH meeting in September, but have 
also had a number of "difficult" meetings. 
SOBEL