52499

2/10/2006 12:08

06THEHAGUE308

Embassy The Hague

UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

VZCZCXRO2694
RR RUEHAT
DE RUEHTC #0308/01 0411208
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 101208Z FEB 06
FM AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4790
INFO RUEHAT/AMCONSUL AMSTERDAM 0353

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 THE HAGUE 000308

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

SIPDIS

E.O.12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL, PTER, KISL, PGOV, PINR, SOCI, SCUL, KPAO, NL
SUBJECT: NETHERLANDS/OUTREACH: CHARGE MEETING WITH
AMSTERDAM MAYOR COHEN

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED. Please handle accordingly.

REF: THEHAGUE 00149

1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Charge met with Amsterdam Mayor Job Cohen
February 3 to discuss opportunities for Muslim outreach in
the city. Cohen complained that the media had distorted his
recent comments on “unrest” in Amsterdam, but acknowledged
religious/ethnic tensions remain a serious problem. He
credited active programs to promote interaction between
local authorities and Muslim community leaders with making
it easier to anticipate and head off potential problems -
“unlike in Paris.” Cohen praised recent outreach efforts to
the Muslim Community by AMCONSUL Amsterdam and Embassy The
Hague and agreed we should continue to work together to
promote dialogue. END SUMMARY.

2. (SBU) On February 3, Charge, POLCOUNS, and Integration
Issues Coordinator met with Amsterdam Mayor Job Cohen and
Deputy Office Director .. in Cohen’s
Amsterdam office. A former State Secretary for Justice and
one of the most popular members of the Labor Party (PvdA),
Cohen presides over a city of 745,000 that includes 218,000
first-generation and 147,000 second-generation immigrants.
The largest ethnic group is Surinamese (71,000) followed by
Muslim groups including 65,000 Moroccans, 38,000 Turks and
25,000 from Egypt, Iraq, Iran and Somalia. Still, Cohen
walks a political tightrope. Rightist critics have charged
him with being too “soft” on Muslims because of his focus on
dialogue and support for publicly funded integration and
education initiatives. On the other hand, Islamic
extremists have placed him on their death lists. He has
received around-the-clock protection since the murder of
Theo van Gogh in November 2004.

RECENT “UNREST” EXAGGERATED
---------------------------

3. (SBU) Cohen said that, with hindsight, his recent remarks
to the press about “unrest” in Amsterdam (reftel) had been a
mistake. The media had blown his comments out of proportion
to create a false impression of large-scale unrest. Given
all the attention given to Muslim issues in the press, he
added, one would think that he spent his entire day working
on nothing else -- in fact, it is just one of many issues
occupying his time. On the other hand, Cohen remains
concerned that simmering religious and ethnic tensions in
the city could lead to more serious problems in the future.
While Amsterdam is “not Paris,” he said, polarization,
poverty, and limited opportunities for young Muslims have
created real tensions -- it would not take much to trigger
violence.

SOME MEAN STREETS. . .
----------------------

4. (SBU) In response to a question from Charge, Cohen
reviewed the situation in two largely Muslim neighborhoods -
-”Diamant” and “Slotervaart” -- which have featured in a
number of recent press stories. Incidents in these two
areas, led Cohen to make his “unrest” statement during his
January 17 press conference.

5. (SBU) Cohen described Diamant as a typical neighborhood
that has unfortunately attracted more than its share of
media attention. Last New Year’s eve, for example, the
press reported several attacks on Jews and homosexuals in
the area, as well as the vandalism of almost 40 cars. Cohen
stressed that Diamant was not the only neighborhood in
Amsterdam to experience vandalism on New Year’s eve, but
acknowledged that the influx of primarily Moroccan
immigrants into the neighborhood has created tension between
the newer and older residents. Even before the Van Gogh
murder, he said, police had responded to several complaints
of Muslim youth harassment of Jewish and homosexual
residents. Clumsy police efforts to deal with the issue --
including releasing the names of the victims -- had
attracted negative media attention. As a result, he said,
many in the media automatically look to Diamant whenever
they need to run a story on ethnic and religious tensions in
the city.

6. (SBU) Cohen said Slotervaart was also a typical Amsterdam
neighborhood facing major demographic change. On January
10, the scooter-accident death of a 17 year-old Muslim youth
led to a near-riot when observers wrongly assumed the death
had resulted from a police chase. Although some residents
threw bricks at a local police station following the
incident, Cohen stressed that local authorities were able to
restore order quickly by working with Muslim community

THE HAGUE 00000308 002 OF 002

leaders to avoid escalating the conflict.

. . . BUT NO PARIS
------------------

7. (SBU) According to Cohen, Paris-style violence is
unlikely to develop in Amsterdam for several reasons.
First, Amsterdam is administratively organized differently
from Paris, and better equipped to deal with unrest. The
political division of the city into fourteen districts, he
said, allows for better control and better information flow
in cases of trouble. Second, Cohen stressed that community
policing has been a major focus of his administration.
Every police district has one or more individuals dedicated
specifically to maintaining contacts with community leaders
-- such as the “Neighborhood Fathers” organizations in some
Muslim neighborhoods -- and promoting youth activities.
Although such measures obviously have not eliminated all
ethnic and religious tensions, in Cohen’s view they have
made it easier to anticipate and head off potential problems
earlier than in other large urban areas.

OUTREACH
--------

9. (SBU) Cohen praised Consul General ..’s efforts
to focus the local Consular Corps on reducing ethnic
tensions in Amsterdam. Several Muslim consulates, including
those of Morocco and Turkey, are participating in the
effort. Cohen also expressed satisfaction with the
Embassy’s recent selection of Amsterdam Alderman Ahmed
Aboutaleb for an International Visitor’s Program this year.
Cohen did not have specific proposals for further
Embassy/Consulate outreach, but agreed to continue what is a
very productive and cooperative relationship.