US embassy cable - 05THEHAGUE2044

S E C R E T THE HAGUE 002044 
 
SIPDIS 
 
WHA FOR PDAS CHARLES SHAPIRO 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/01/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PHUM, EPET, NA, NL, VZ 
SUBJECT: NETHERLANDS/VENEZUELA: DUTCH FM THINKING TOUGH ON 
CHAVEZ 
 
Classified By: Charge Chat Blakeman for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1. (C)  FM Bot told the Ambassador on July 20 he would 
welcome a briefing by WHA PDAS Charles Shapiro on August 23 
or 24 as part of the Netherlands increasing engagement on 
Venezuela.  He made clear that he wanted to be helpful on 
Venezuela and is willing to adopt a strengthened posture, 
including taking a leadership role inside the EU. In a 
separate conversation with the Ambassador, DG for Political 
Affairs Hugo Siblesz, Bot's senior political advisor, 
emphasized that the Dutch are looking for "visible meetings 
between the U.S. and the GoNL to underscore the fact that we 
are engaged together on Venezuela." 
 
2.   (C)  The Dutch are not enthusiastic about meeting Chavez 
face to face now.  Bot said that should Chavez visit Europe, 
he was not interested in meeting with him.  Siblesz, 
confirmed there is no visit planned now and said similarly 
that the Dutch would meet Chavez only under "extraordinary 
circumstances" and only  if were in Europe on other business. 
 Any such meeting, Siblesz added, would be at the FM, not PM, 
level.  Bot said he hoped to visit Venezuela in October, 
along with Colombia, the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba. 
 
3.  (C)  In separate discussions with the Ambassador on July 
21, General Dick Berlijn, Chief of the Defense Staff, said he 
would also welcome a USG briefing for the MOD.  Berlijn noted 
that the recent deployment of F-16s to Aruba was the first 
deployment for the Dutch in that theater.  He told the 
Ambassador that in the future the GoNL could consider sending 
submarines to the Caribbean to assist in counternarcotics 
work.  He added that the Dutch want to work with other 
countries to put forces into the region as needed in this 
regard, including brown water assets. 
BLAKEMAN