US embassy cable - 05THEHAGUE2444

C O N F I D E N T I A L THE HAGUE 002444 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/08/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PTER, PHUM, PREF, PINR, MOPS, KAWC, NL 
SUBJECT: NETHERLANDS/UIGHURS:  DUTCH WANT UNHCR INVOLVEMENT 
BEFORE CONSIDERING REQUEST 
 
REF: STATE 158272 
 
Classified By: CDA CHAT BLAKEMAN FOR REASONS 1.4(B) AND (D). 
 
1. (C) On September 2, POLCOUNS delivered reftel demarche 
regarding the possible resettlement of 15 Uighur detainees 
from Guantanamo to Anneke Adema, Head of the Dutch MFA's 
Office of Human Rights Affairs.  Adema said that she would 
circulate the request to the relevant Dutch ministries and 
provide a preliminary response.  Without commenting on the 
specifics of the case, Adema noted that the Dutch generally 
coordinate resettlement requests with UNHCR.  Per reftel, 
POLCOUNS noted that the USG had been in discussion with ICRC 
and UNHCR. 
 
2. (C) POLCOUNS received the Dutch preliminary response on 
September 7 from Guillaume Teerling in Anneke Adema's Office. 
 Teerling stressed that the request had been studied 
carefully by the Dutch side.  Recalling the earlier 
discussion of the issue, Teerling said the Dutch agreed that 
the persons in question should be released and cannot return 
to China in light of the strong possibility of persecution. 
As a matter of policy, however, the Dutch Immigration and 
Naturalization service will only consider resettlement 
requests from UNHCR.  For that reason, the Dutch are not at 
this time in a position to consider the specific U.S. 
request, or any other bilateral request of this nature. 
 
3. (C) On September 8, POLCOUNS raised the issue again with 
Deputy Political Director Pieter de Gooijer, stressing that 
this was a high priority for the USG.  De Gooijer 
acknowledged that the issue had political implications, but 
reiterated the standing Dutch policy.  Neither he nor other 
Dutch interlocutors would speculate as to how the Dutch would 
respond to a similar request coming from UNHCR. 
 
4. (C) COMMENT:  While sympathetic to the Uighurs' situation, 
the Dutch government clearly is not prepared to change its 
long-standing policy on bilateral resettlement requests in 
this case.  Not only would changing the policy be politically 
and bureaucratically difficult, but could open the government 
up to charges of favoritism and/or set a precedent for future 
bilateral requests.  Absent UNHCR involvement, we doubt that 
higher-level approaches to the Dutch would produce a 
different response.  END COMMENT. 
BLAKEMAN