ID: 09THEHAGUE759
DATE: 2009-12-21 16:28

VZCZCXRO2084 OO RUEHDBU RUEHPW RUEHSL DE RUEHTC #0759/01 3551628
ZNY SSSSS ZZH O 211628Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3596
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY 
RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL PRIORITY 0435
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY RUEKJCS/CJCS WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/DIA WASHDC PRIORITY RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 03 THE HAGUE 000759
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/21/2019
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, NATO, AF, NL
SUBJECT: NETHERLANDS/AFGHANISTAN: CABINET DELIBERATING -
LABOR PARTY LINES DRAWN
REF: THE HAGUE 726

Classified By: Charge Andrew C. Mann for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

1. (S)
SUMMARY: Dutch cabinet deliberations on Afghanistan are
stalled going into the holiday break, with no clear indication
when the impasse will be broken. Dutch post-2010 commitments
to Afghanistan are being held hostage to the Labor Party’s
(PvdA) uncompromising stance. Ambassador’s engagement with key
leaders reveals few new assessments: Dutch will likely stay in
Afghanistan focusing on training, enablers and development -
outside of Uruzgan. END SUMMARY

CABINET MEETINGS SIGNAL NEW LOW IN DELIBERATIONS
------------------------------------------------

2. (S)
A sextet of ministers devoted their “mini” cabinet meetings to
Afghanistan December 09 and 15. The sextet consists of Prime
Minister Jan Peter Balkenende (Christian Democrats (CDA)),
Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen (CDA), Finance
Minister/Deputy Prime Minister Wouter Bos (Labor Party
(PvdA)), Defense Minister Eimert van Middelkoop (Christian
Unie (CU)), Development Cooperation Minister Bert Koenders
(PvdA), and Youth and Families Minister/Deputy Prime Minister
Andre Rouvoet (CU).

3. (S)
The cabinet has not released any public information following
the meetings. Verhagen’s private secretary told the Embassy
Balkenende, for the first time in a cabinet meeting, made a
“heartfelt pitch” for staying in Uruzgan on December 9. The
private secretary was not optimistic, however, about the
future of the Uruzgan mission because the PvdA’s political
“stranglehold” was still in place. The cabinet reviewed three
options: a substantially reduced Uruzgan presence, a training
mission outside Uruzgan, and a PRT outside Uruzgan. Chief of
Defense Staff apparently provided broad outlines of these
scenarios at the December 15 meeting.

DUTCH KEY LEADER ASSESSMENTS
----------------------------

4. (S)
PvdA - Bos has completely shunned the diplomatic corps,
relegating Afghanistan discussions to Koenders who has
categorically said the Dutch will not be in Uruzgan after 2010
except for development efforts. The Australian Ambassador met
with PvdA Foreign Affairs spokesperson Martijn van Dam who was
even more unyielding on the Uruzgan departure. He stated that
if Dutch security was needed in Uruzgan for development
efforts after 2010, then the Dutch would simply stop those
efforts as well. The PvdA defense spokesperson opined that it
would not be of any benefit for U.S. leaders to engage either
Bos or van Dam as they were not “open-minded” on Afghanistan.
The PvdA is a party in disarray; their December 12 party
congress was very mixed. Although there was no formal party
statement made on Afghanistan, Labor’s position remained clear
- it was standing firm on withdrawal of all troops from
Uruzgan in 2010. Bos has stated he wants a Cabinet decision
around January 8, before the Davids Commission issues it
report about the political support the Dutch Government gave
the U.S. decision to attack Iraq in 2003. Press commentary
after the party congress heavily criticized Labor for failing
to recognize: (1) any positive developments in Uruzgan over
the past two years; (2) the importance for the Dutch to
support the new NATO strategy and mission; and (3) the lives
lost needlessly and effort wasted if the Dutch withdrew from
Uruzgan.

5. (S)
CDA - Verhagen told the Ambassador December 11 he thought the
cabinet planned to have a decision prior to the late January
London Conference on Afghanistan. Verhagen did not provide any
new insight on what a final cabinet decision will entail. He
and CDA parliamentary floor leader Pieter van Geel told the
Ambassador the CDA MPs were not enthusiastic about continuing
in Uruzgan past 2010, but would support any decision by the
cabinet. Verhagen was not optimistic about what the cabinet
would ultimately decide but he remained committed to serious
Dutch involvement in Afghanistan.

6. (S)
CU - Van Middelkoop told the Ambassador that discussions within 
the cabinet had been “frustrating.” The

THE HAGUE 00000759 002 OF 003 

military leadership do not want to leave Afghanistan and are
clearly concerned about being the “odd man out” within NATO as
many other countries are stepping up their commitments. Van
Middelkoop appears to support a serious commitment but does
not see a way around the impasse caused by the intransigence
of the PvdA.

7. (S)
Opposition parties - Anouchka van Miltenburg (Liberal Party -
VVD), Chair of the Defense Committee, told the Ambassador that
the debate has everything to do with local politics and almost
nothing to do with statesmanship. She said the PvdA will
clearly put the government into a crisis over the decision if
pressed by CDA. She sees no way to avoid that other than to
compromise on a mission of some nature outside of Uruzgan. VVD
party leader Mark Rutte told the Ambassador December 14 his
party would support staying in Uruzgan. He speculated that if
the cabinet went to a crisis over the issue the end result may
be a coalition of VVD, CDA, D-66 and CU resulting in more
serious support of NATO-led operations. Alexander Pechtold,
D66 party leader, told Ambassador December 16 his party would
support retention of a PRT and force protection in Uruzgan. He
suggested a cabinet crisis was not in any of the coalition
partner’s interest. Pechtold believes the cabinet decision
will be delayed as long as possible to distance a decision
from the recent public comments to give them room to maneuver.
In a meeting with POL/ECON Counselor, Mariko Peters, the
GreenLeft party spokesperson for defense and foreign affairs
(and former DCM at the Dutch Embassy in Kabul), said her party
would support continued Dutch involvement in Afghanistan if it
focused on community policing, even if Dutch police trainers
needed Dutch troops to provide force protection to do their
job. Geert Wilders of the Freedom Party (PVV) told the
Ambassador December 10 the Labor Party had painted itself into
a corner with no way out. It was in a lose-lose situation. It
would probably agree to stay in Afghanistan someplace other
than Uruzgan, but that would not placate its followers.
Wilders supports the NATO mission in Afghanistan and praised
the President’s new strategy, but his party wants all Dutch
troops to be withdrawn, “it is time for others to step up and
assume their responsibilities. The Dutch have done enough.”

JOINT EFFORTS
-------------

8. (S)
The results of the Ambassador’s meetings with the party
leaders are the same as those undertaken by the British,
Australian and Danish Ambassadors. Comparing notes reinforced
the overwhelming support of the Prime Minister and the Foreign
Minister for a continued Uruzgan deployment, but frustration
as arguments fall on deaf ears in the PvdA. The PvdA shows no
realization of the impact a lack of significant commitment by
the Dutch will have on their international stature. They also
fail to grasp the overall costs and loss of credibility from
leaving a successful PRT and establishing a completely new
mission in a new location as Labor has proposed as an
alternative. The British embassy has forwarded a suggestion
that Foreign Secretary David Miliband, a Labor leader, contact
Bos on a party-to-party basis to discuss Afghanistan. The
Danish Ambassador believes that as Qdiscuss Afghanistan. The
Danish Ambassador believes that as a small country with the
same issues as the Dutch she can argue a different angle that
may be helpful in urging the Dutch forward.

COMMENT
-------

9. (S)
Karel van Oosterom, the Prime Minister’s Foreign Affairs and
Defense Advisor (NSA equivalent), told visiting EUR/WE Office
Director Maureen Cormack the cabinet was faced with finding
consensus between the PvdA’s absolute refusal to countenance
an additional military mission in Uruzgan and the CDA’s
insistence that the Netherlands make a significant
contribution to NATO’s mission in Afghanistan. He recognized
it was in no one’s interest to bring the cabinet to crisis
because of the important work the cabinet still needed to do.
While mindful of Bos’s Jan. 8 date, Verhagen’s eye on the
London Conference and Parliament’s desire for a decision by
March 1, van Oosterom said the Prime Minister will take
whatever time is necessary to achieve the best result. PvdA
Minister Koenders told the Australian Ambassador that Labor,
with Bos’s blessing, could support continued development

THE HAGUE 00000759 003 OF 003

efforts through the PRT in Uruzgan (leaving 12 or so civilian
development officers behind in Tarin Kowt with force
protection provided by some other country), enablers, a force
of as many as 500 soldiers deployed elsewhere in Afghanistan,
and an increased financial contribution for development and
training efforts. Given Labor’s refusal to consider other
options, that may be the best we can hope for. END COMMENT.

MANN