US embassy cable - 03THEHAGUE1997

S E C R E T THE HAGUE 001997 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 1.6 X5, X6 
TAGS: PARM, PREL, MNUC, ETTC, BE, NL, MTCRE 
SUBJECT: DUTCH ON INTERDICTION OF MISSILE RELATED CHEMICAL 
(S) 
 
REF: A. STATE 228758 
     B. BRUSSELS 3874 
     C. STATE 226538 
 
Classified By: CLASSIFIED BY POLITICAL COUNSELOR MARY DALY FOR REASONS 
1.5 (B AND D) 
 
(S)  PolMilOff made ref A demarche to Dutch MFA 
Nonproliferation Director Paul Wilke and Dutch MEA Policy 
Advisor Diana Gosens on August 7.  Wilke and Gosens said that 
the GONL would not be initiating a formal investigation into 
this matter because MEG is not subject to any Dutch licensing 
controls. Gosens subsequently emphasized with PolMilOff that 
the Dutch position was that this was not an illegal export. 
That said, Dutch Customs had visited the exporter Brenntag's 
offices in Dordrecht, Netherlands and copied files which they 
will share with Belgian colleagues.  Gosens said she had also 
spoken with Brenntag which claims the end user is the Syrian 
Ministry of Industry.  Gosens claimed that had the Dutch 
government been aware of USG concerns while the shipment was 
on Dutch territory, and given that the end user was the 
Government of Syria, it was likely the GONL would have held 
up the shipment under a catch all provision.  She said she 
had conveyed this message to her Belgian MFA colleague Paul 
Huynen.  At this point, the Dutch view this matter as being 
in the hands of their Belgian colleagues. 
RUSSEL