US embassy cable - 05THEHAGUE2554

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 THE HAGUE 002554 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/20/2015 
TAGS: PREL, MARR, NL, VE, NA 
SUBJECT: NETHERLANDS/ANTILLES/VENEZUELA:  CONCERNS REMAIN, 
BUT NO SUPPORT FOR DRAMATIC SHOWS OF FORCE 
 
Classified By: CHARGE D'AFFAIRES CHAT BLAKEMAN FOR REASONS 1.4(B) AND ( 
D). 
 
1. (C) SUMMARY:  The Dutch MFA provided post with a non-paper 
on September 19 summarizing the Dutch approach to Venezuela. 
The paper reiterates that infringements of Dutch sovereignty 
in the Caribbean will not be tolerated, and stresses that 
this message will be communicated directly through high-level 
Dutch-Venezuelan contacts.  "High-level" visits from the U.S. 
to the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba are welcome and the 
current level of military contacts and counternarcotics 
cooperation should be maintained.  On the other hand, the 
Dutch see "no reason, at this stage" to expand such contacts 
dramatically, which could be seen as a provocation by 
Caracas.  According to MFA officials, the non-paper was 
coordinated with the governments of Aruba and the Netherlands 
Antilles and therefore reflects the official "Kingdom of the 
Netherlands" position.  Foreign Minister Bot still hopes to 
visit Caracas in mid-October to deliver a firm message to 
Chavez -- which would also allow the Dutch to raise the level 
of discussion within the EU -- but has not yet received a 
formal invitation.  END SUMMARY 
 
2. (C) On September 19, Charge D'Affaires and POLCOUNS were 
summoned to a meeting with Marion Kappeyne van de Coppello, 
Director of the Dutch MFA's Department of Western Hemisphere 
Affairs, to discuss Venezuela.  Kappeyne van de Coppello was 
accompanied by Venezuela Desk Officer Dimitry Vogelaar and 
the head of the MFA's North America Desk, Jos Schellaars. 
During the brief meeting, Kappeyne van de Coppello handed 
over a ten-point non-paper (text at para 5) which she 
described as representing the position of the "Kingdom of the 
Netherlands," meaning that the text had been coordinated with 
the governments of Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles. 
(Note:  In a separate meeting with POLOFFs, Karel de vey 
Mestagh, Kingdom Affairs Advisor at the MFA, confirmed that 
the text had been coordinated with Oranjestad and 
Willemstad.)   Kappeyne van de Coppello asked that the text 
be treated as a "non-paper" intended to facilitate discussion 
rather than an aide-memoire or other official document, but 
noted that it responded to specific US questions raised in 
The Hague, Washington, and Caracas. 
 
3. (C)  Kappeyne van de Coppello stressed that Venezuelan 
meddling in the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba remained a 
serious concern.  While Venezuela was a regular topic of 
discussion at the EU's monthly COLAT meetings, she added, the 
Dutch hoped that Foreign Minister Bot's proposed mid-October 
visit to Caracas would provide an opportunity to raise Dutch 
concerns at the EU ministerial level.  Bot would also use the 
visit to deliver a very tough message to the Venezuelan 
government "at the highest possible level" that such 
interference was unacceptable.  Kappeyne van de Coppello 
acknowledged, however, that the dates for Bot's visit were 
not certain as the Venezuelan government had not yet issued a 
formal "invitation."  She hoped that this would be resolved 
during a planned pull-aside between Bot and his Venezuelan 
counterpart on the margins of UNGA this week. 
 
4. (C) Referring to the non-paper, Charge asked for 
clarification of the final point that the Kingdom sees "no 
reason for a show of military strength such as visits of 
nuclear powered naval vessels, visits of fleets of unusually 
large scale or frequency, etc."  Kappeyne van de Coppello 
responded that this was a continuation of existing policy and 
procedures.  While large-scale naval visits could provide 
economic benefits to the islands, she added, all elements of 
the Kingdom were in agreement on the need to avoid gestures 
which could appear unnecessarily provocative.  She stressed 
that the "open invitation" for non-nuclear ships remained in 
force, and that there should be no reductions in the current 
level or frequency of fleet visits and joint/combined 
military exercises. 
 
5. (SBU) Begin text of Dutch non-paper: 
 
1. The government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands shares a 
number of US concerns regarding Venezuela, as recently 
communicated in Washington, the Hague, and Caracas. 
 
2. The Kingdom is particularly concerned about attempts to 
influence the Netherlands Antilles' internal affairs.  The 
Kingdom will tolerate no infringements, of any nature, on its 
sovereignty.  The Kingdom will use its contacts with 
Venezuela to communicate this unequivocally. 
 
3. Concerns about the Human Rights situation and the 
deterioration of the rule of law in Venezuela are dealt with 
under the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the EU as 
well as bilaterally. 
 
4. Given its national interests in the Caribbean the Kingdom 
of the Netherlands values good relations with its neighbour 
Venezuela on the basis of respect for each other's 
sovereignty and territory. 
 
5. As a close ally of the US, the Kingdom is willing to use 
these channels to convey mutual concerns.  A possible visit 
of the Minister of Foreign Affairs to Venezuela in October 
might provide such an opportunity. 
 
6. The Kingdom welcomes high level visits from the US to the 
Netherlands Antilles and Aruba to further enhance established 
areas of cooperation between the Netherlands Antilles, Aruba, 
and the US. 
 
7. The Kingdom is also committed to the continuation of 
existing practices of blanket clearances regarding visits for 
US non-nuclear powered vessels and aeroplanes to the seaports 
and airports of the Netherlands Antilles. 
 
8. The Kingdom is also committed to continuing cooperation 
regarding the Forward Operating Locations on Curacao and 
Aruba as laid down in the FOL-treaty. 
 
9. Furthermore, the Kingdom is committed to the continuation 
of combined/joint military exercises in the region. 
 
10. The Kingdom sees, at this stage, no reason for a show of 
military strength such as visits of nuclear powered vessels, 
visits of fleets of unusually large scale or frequency or 
joint/combined military exercises of unconventional scale or 
scope. 
 
BLAKEMAN