US embassy cable - 05THEHAGUE2446

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 THE HAGUE 002446 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR THE DEPUTY SECRETARY, S/CRS/TEPPER AND S/GAC 
STATE ALSO FOR AF/FRAZER AND BITTRICK AND EUR/UBI/REITER 
USEU FOR LERNER AND BRENNER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID, PREL, KHIV, NL, XA 
SUBJECT: THE DUTCH IN AFRICA: SECURITY, AIDS AND WATER 
 
REF: THE HAGUE 2241 
 
1.  Summary:  The Dutch are among the world's most generous 
aid donors, giving about 0.8 percent of GDP or $4.2 billion 
in 2004.  Roughly half of Dutch aid goes to 18 countries in 
Africa, making the Netherlands the fourth largest donor of 
bilateral aid to Africa.  Dutch aid to Africa focuses on 
health and environmental programs, including AIDS and water 
projects where the U.S. and Netherlands cooperate closely. 
Increasingly, the Dutch are also focusing on security sector 
reform (SSR) and disarmament, demobilization and 
reintegration (DDR) efforts in Sudan and the Great Lakes, for 
which Development Minister Agnes van Ardenne has established 
a $132 million fund.  Van Ardenne will travel to Washington 
twice in September, providing Department principals the 
opportunity to discuss security sector assistance in Africa 
and elsewhere.  End Summary. 
 
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OVERVIEW 
-------- 
 
2.  The Netherlands ranks among the world's top foreign 
assistance donors, annually giving the equivalent of 0.8 
percent of GDP (about $4.2 billion in 2004), a firm policy 
target ratio.  Last year the Netherlands was the fifth 
largest donor country as a percentage of GDP and sixth in 
dollar terms.  Beginning in 2003, the Dutch initiated a new, 
more focused aid policy, concentrating their bilateral 
assistance on 36 partner countries, half of which are in 
Africa.  At roughly $2.1 billion,  The Netherlands is the 
fourth largest donor to Africa, and its programs there target 
economic development, education, reproductive health 
(including AIDS) and the environment. 
 
3.  Minister for Development Agnes van Ardenne will visit 
Washington and New York in September for the UNGA development 
assistance and World Bank/IMF conferences. Post understands 
van Ardenne has requested meetings with the Deputy Secretary 
and Assistant Secretary for Africa.  Van Ardenne will likely 
want to discuss Sudan, but it would also be an opportunity to 
encourage the Dutch to do more on peacekeeping and 
reconstruction in Africa. 
 
4.  Van Ardenne has pushed the bounds of traditional 
development assistance by funding programs that aim to create 
a secure environment in which development can proceed.  The 
development ministry has created a Stability Fund with a FY 
2005 budget of 110 million Euros ($132 million) to fund 
security sector reforms (SSR), and disarmament, 
demobilization and reintegration (DDR) of former fighters in 
the African Great Lakes and Horn of Africa, as well as the 
Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq.  In January 2005 Defense 
Minister Henk Kamp and van Ardenne announced the formation of 
a joint Security Task Force (similar to State's Office of the 
Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization), to 
identify and prepare for failing and failed states.  Van 
Ardenne has also lobbied the OECD Development Assistance 
Committee to broaden definitions of development assistance to 
allow more SSR related programs to qualify as official 
development assistance. 
 
5.  GONL security assistance efforts are focused in the Horn 
of Africa and Great Lakes region, and in particular Sudan and 
the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). 
 
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THE HORN OF AFRICA 
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Sudan 
----- 
6.  The Netherlands, along with the U.S., UK and Norway, was 
among the earliest and most generous humanitarian aid donors 
to Darfur.  In 2004 the Dutch gave 49 million Euros ($61 
million) to aid refugees in Sudan and Chad.  This year the 
GONL pledged another 49.5 million Euros for Darfur related 
humanitarian assistance and has promised more, if needed. 
 
7.  At the April donor conference in Oslo, the Netherlands 
pledged 175 million Euros ($217 million) over the next three 
years to fund Sudanese reconstruction and support for the 
Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).  Of this amount, 150 
million Euros ($180 million) will go to the UN Multi-Donor 
Trust Fund.  The remaining 25 million Euros ($31 million) is 
earmarked for SSR/DDR in southern Sudan. 
8.  In addition, the Dutch support the UN Sudan mission with 
personnel, and the African Union (AU) Mission to the Sudan 
(AMIS) with advisors, funds (14.3 million Euros or $34.3 
million) and airlift for incoming AU troops.  Three Dutch 
military personnel are assigned to Addis Ababa as part of 
NATO/EU missions in support of AMIS.  Ministry of Defense and 
Ministry of Development Assistance (MDA) staff traveled to 
Sudan at the end of August to evaluate the possibility of 
providing Dutch military observers to the UN mission.  During 
the NATO force generation conference in June 2005, the 
Netherlands offered to airlift a South African AU battalion 
to Darfur, to be coordinated by NATO in September 2005.  The 
Dutch are also considering additional tactical airlift, as 
well as deployment of trainers in southern Sudan to work on 
Sudan People,s Liberation Army transformation. 
9.  The GONL has reorganized and increased staffing for its 
Sudan policy-making office. A new Sudan Task Force brings 
together MDA and Ministry of Foreign Affairs staff with 
responsibility for political affairs, SSR/DDR, 
reconstruction, humanitarian aid, and donor coordination. 
The task force will be led by Wim Wessels, Ambassador at 
Large for Sudan, who will report directly to van Ardenne. 
 
Ethiopia/Eritrea 
---------------- 
10.  The Dutch are working bilaterally and through the EU to 
help solve the Ethiopia-Eritrea border crisis.  The 
Netherlands has made expansion of its bilateral aid to 
Ethiopia and Eritrea conditional on improvements in human 
rights and the honoring of border commission commitments. 
The Dutch gave 19.5 million Euros ($23.4 million) in 
bilateral assistance to Ethiopia in 2004 for good governance, 
education, healthcare and rural development.  For Eritrea 
this year the Dutch have pledged 2.65 million Euros ($3.18 
million) for human rights, regional stability, good 
governance, education, economic development and 
environment/water projects. 
 
11.  In 2003 the Dutch and U.S. signed an MOU to coordinate 
their AIDS programs in Ethiopia and three other African 
countries.  The U.S. and Dutch missions focus on AIDS 
prevention programs and work together on the Country 
Coordinating Committee, which coordinates host country and 
donor country activities. 
 
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THE GREAT LAKES 
--------------- 
 
12.  The Dutch are a leading supporter of the peace process 
in the Great Lakes region.  They, along with Canada, chair 
and help fund the Friends of the Great Lakes, a group of 
donor countries supporting a series of regional peace and 
cooperation conferences.  The Dutch financially support two 
of six military integration centers that seek to reorganize 
and re-outfit DRC armed forces. They have posted one military 
advisor to the United Nations Mission and the EU police 
mission in DRC.  In Burundi, the Dutch have provided funding, 
material and reintegration training for the military, and 
contributed a military officer to the UN Operation in 
Burundi. 
 
13.  Defense Minister Henk Kamp returned from a tour of Great 
Lakes DDR programs earlier this year convinced as never 
before that his ministry had a role to play in helping 
stabilize post-crisis countries.  During an August 9 
conversation with emboffs, Kamp noted that the Dutch are 
considering small scale deployments in Africa (reftel). 
Regarding potential operations, Kamp stressed, however, that 
the Dutch would seek to coordinate with a "greater power" 
such as the UK or the U.S.  (Note: This is not inconsistent 
with Dutch military doctrine.  Following the Netherlands, 
experience in Srebrenica, the Parliament drew up a list of 
conditions ) including partnering with a greater power ) 
that must be met before a military deployment can be 
approved.  End note.) 
 
14.  The Dutch also help coordinate the effort to bring peace 
to northern Uganda.  The Netherlands leads a contact group of 
major donor countries, and has hosted strategy meetings on 
the North in The Hague.   Dutch officials, including Minister 
van Ardenne, meet frequently with President Museveni. 
 
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ELSEWHERE IN AFRICA: AIDS AND WATER 
----------------------------------- 
 
AIDS 
---- 
15.  AIDS and water resources management are priority sectors 
for Dutch assistance in Africa, and two areas in which the 
U.S. and Netherlands have cooperated closely. In 2003 
President Bush and Prime Minister Balkenende signed an MOU to 
coordinate AIDS programs in Ethiopia, Rwanda, Ghana and 
Zambia.  In these countries the U.S. and Dutch work together 
to develop public-private partnerships for AIDS education, 
prevention and treatment, care of orphans and vulnerable 
children and strengthening national AIDS commissions.  The 
USAID-Dutch partnership with Heineken on an AIDS treatment 
and education program in Rwanda has been particularly 
successful, and has been noted as a model for future 
partnerships. 
 
16.  In 2004 the Netherlands disbursed $375 million on 
programs to fight HIV, Tuberculosis and Malaria.   Of this 
sum, $97 million was distributed bilaterally; the rest was 
channeled through NGOs and multinational organizations.  In 
2004 the GONL announced it would double its AIDS funding by 
2007, with a continuing focus on African countries. 
Currently, health sector funding features prominently in 
Dutch assistance to Burkina Faso ($6.7 million), Ethiopia 
($14.7 million) Ghana ($24 million), Mali ($11.2 million), 
Mozambique ($2.7 million), Tanzania ($9.6 million), South 
Africa ($1.8 million), and Zambia ($17.4 million). 
 
Water 
----- 
17.  The Dutch are among the world's most knowledgeable and 
generous donors to water development projects.  As a policy 
target, they give 0.1 percent of GDP (or about $500 million) 
annually to water development programs. 
 
18.  For instance, they have assumed a leading role in the 
Global Water Partnership (GWP), of which Crown Prince William 
Alexander is an honorary patron.  After consulting closely 
with the U.S. in the GWP, the Dutch funded Integrated Water 
Resource Management Plans in Benin, Cameroon, Cape Verde, 
Eritrea, Mozambique and Swaziland.  The Netherlands plays a 
leading role in international water conferences and capacity 
building.  The UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education, 
which provides advanced training in water resource management 
for officials from developing countries, is based in the 
Netherlands. The Dutch fund cross-border water management 
programs in southern Africa and also participate in the Nile 
River Basin Initiative.  Among those countries receiving 
Dutch funding for environment/water programs are:  Benin 
($4.8 million), Egypt ($6.8 million), Ghana, ($7.3 million), 
Cape Verde ($3 million), Mali ($6.3 million), Mozambique 
($3.9 million) and Senegal ($8.5 million). 
 
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COMMENT 
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19.  Comment:  Van Ardenne is the driving force behind her 
government's increase in stability assistance to Africa.  Her 
upcoming visits to Washington and New York will provide an 
opportunity for Department principals to discuss 1) support 
for African peacekeeping troops and UN observer missions; 2) 
judicial reform in post-crisis states; 3) joining advisory or 
training operations in Africa and elsewhere; 4) participating 
in reconstruction efforts outside their 36 partner countries, 
such as Liberia or Haiti; 5) coordinating reconstruction 
policy with us in discussions within NATO, the EU or the UN. 
End Comment. 
 
BLAKEMAN