Cablegate: Netherlands: Assessment of Jordan-Only Red Sea

VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHTC #0498 2301252
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 181252Z AUG 09
FM AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3168
INFO RUEHAM/AMEMBASSY AMMAN PRIORITY 0224
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV PRIORITY 2938

UNCLAS THE HAGUE 000498

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR NEA/RA JILL SHAUNFIELD AND NEA/IPA KARLENE
FRELICH, AMMAN FOR MANU BHALLA, TEL AVIV FOR PAUL ROHRLICH

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV PREL IS JO NL KWBG
SUBJECT: NETHERLANDS: ASSESSMENT OF JORDAN-ONLY RED SEA
DEVELOPMENT PROJECT

REF: STATE 78652

(SBU) ECONOFF delivered reftel talking points on July 30 to
Lisa Bakels, Policy Officer for Jordan in the Dutch Ministry
of Foreign Affairs (MFA). Bakels subsequently contacted
David Kuijper, a Dutch official in Washington at the World
Bank,s Office of the Executive Director responsible for the
Netherlands and Israel (among other countries). Kuijper
advised that after consultations with Jordanian and World
Bank officials close to the project, his office initially was
optimistic that "if designed wisely," the Jordan Red Sea
Development Project (JRSDP) could be a "valuable
contribution" to the World Bank,s ongoing Red Sea-Dead Sea
Conveyance Project (RDS). However, Kuijper,s office and the
Dutch MFA remain guarded in their optimism, given the
continuing lack of detail from Jordanian authorities on their
JRSDP plan. If the project is not designed properly,
Kuijpers and his Bank colleagues fear that the JRSDP could
"endanger the viability" of the RDS. According to Bakels,
the MFA continues to press the Jordanians for more
information on the technical details of their plan; the MFA
has emphasized to the Jordanians that it is vital that they
"openly discuss all details of the JRSDP with the other
players in the RDS." Bakels committed to advise ECONOFF when
the Dutch have more information and "are in a better position
to judge the consequences" of the JRSDP.
LEVIN

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