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### Viewing cable 06THEHAGUE2639, NETHERLANDS: STILL STRUGGLING WITH SREBRENICA

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Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
06THEHAGUE2639 | 2006-12-19 16:04 | 2011-02-02 15:03 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy The Hague

`

    VZCZCXYZ0000
    OO RUEHWEB

    DE RUEHTC #2639/01 3531628
    ZNY CCCCC ZZH
    O 191628Z DEC 06
    FM AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE
    TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7732
    INFO RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
    RUEHVJ/AMEMBASSY SARAJEVO PRIORITY 0111
    RUEKJCS/CJCS WASHDC PRIORITY
    RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
    RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY

` `

    C O N F I D E N T I A L THE HAGUE 002639

    SIPDIS

    SIPDIS

    STATE FOR EUR/UBI, EUR/SCE

    E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/19/2016
    TAGS: PREL PGOV NL
    SUBJECT: NETHERLANDS: STILL STRUGGLING WITH SREBRENICA

    Classified By: CDA Chat Blakeman, reasons 1...

    90154

    2006-12-19

    06THEHAGUE2639

    Embassy The Hague

    CONFIDENTIAL

    C O N F I D E N T I A L THE HAGUE 002639

    SIPDIS
    SIPDIS

    STATE FOR EUR/UBI, EUR/SCE

    E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/19/2016

    TAGS: PREL PGOV NL

    SUBJECT: NETHERLANDS: STILL STRUGGLING WITH SREBRENICA

    Classified By: CDA Chat Blakeman, reasons 1.4 (b,d)

    ¶1. (C) Summary: Dutch Defense Minister Henk Kamp presented a
    special insignia on December 4 to troops who served in Dutch
    Battalion (Dutchbat) III under the UN Protection Force
    (UNPROFOR) in Bosnia in 1995. While the insignia is intended
    to honor Dutch servicemen who functioned honorably and
    conscientiously in difficult circumstances, it has provoked
    questions and criticism by a Dutch society still struggling
    with their failure to prevent the massacre of Muslims by
    Serbian forces at Srebrenica. End summary.

    Special Insignia for Srebrenica Service
    ---------------------------------------

    ¶2. (U) On December 4, Dutch DM Kamp presented Dutchbat III
    members an insignia as a symbol of recognition for their
    service in Srebrenica over ten years ago. Dutchbat troops
    under UNPROFOR were responsible in July 1995 for defending
    the Bosniak enclave designated by the UN a special enclave.
    In Europe's worst civilian massacre since World War II,
    Dutch troops stood helplessly as Serbian forces rounded up
    and massacred over 8,000 Muslim men and boys at Srebrenica.
    Approximately 500 of the 850 Dutchbat servicemen attended the
    ceremony to receive the insignia from Kamp.

    ¶3. (U) Dutchbat's failure to prevent the massacre has been an
    on-going controversy for the Dutch. Critics blame Dutchbat
    cowards for doing nothing to prevent the massacre, while
    Dutchbat troops claim defense of Srebrenica was impossible
    due to an insufficient mandate, inadequate arms, and lack of
    UN support. Dutch troops returned home to charges of
    incompetence; many sought long-term trauma treatment. The
    massacre ultimately led to the collapse of the Dutch
    government in April 2002 following a critical report released
    by the Netherlands Institute for War Documentation. The
    report cleared Dutch troops of most blame, noting they were
    outnumbered and lightly armed -- and under restricted rules
    of engagement -- but assigned partial blame to the Dutch
    Government for setting the troops up to fail.

    ¶4. (U) In response, the Dutch Government must now meet a
    select criteria -- the toetsingskader -- before Parliament
    will agree to support a deployment overseas. The most
    important requirement involves teaming with a greater power
    to avoid any perceived abandonment, as the Dutch believe
    happened to them at Srebrenica. In the effort to meet this
    criteria, recent Dutch consideration over their deployment to
    Afghanistan stalled several times until agreement was reached
    to team with Australian forces in Uruzgan province.

    ¶5. (U) Kamp stated during the insignia ceremony that Dutchbat
    troops functioned honorably and conscientiously in difficult
    circumstances, and were wrongfully presented in a negative
    light for a long period of time. He noted that Dutch forces
    have long been blamed for the failure to protect Srebrenica,
    but thorough inquiries have made clear that the Dutch should
    not be held accountable for the massacre. Kamp acknowledged
    that as a result of Srebrenica, Dutch troops have been viewed
    as cowardly or weak. He explained that the Dutch Government
    wants to show recognition to the Dutchbatters not only for
    the work they did in good faith, but also for the years of
    vilification.

    Criticism for Special Recognition
    ---------------------------------

    ¶6. (U) The presentation of insignias has resurrected bitter
    feelings over Srebrenica. In addition to demonstrations in
    Sarajevo and The Hague, and criticism voiced by the Mothers
    of Srebrenica Association, Dutch newspapers and human rights
    organizations have blasted the insignia presentation.
    Critics in the Dutch left-of-center newspaper Volkskrant
    noted that the insignia is a slap in the victims' faces and
    proves once again that the role of the Dutch military is more
    important than the victims' feelings.

    ¶7. (U) Commentary in the Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad
    noted that the insignia is no medal for valor or
    distinction. Right-of-center Dutch newspaper NRC
    Handelsblad commented that the insignia may soothe the heavy
    conscience of the Dutch military, but questions of individual
    responsibility, leadership capabilities, and the judgment of
    local commanders on the ground will continue to gnaw on the
    individual conscience.

    ¶8. (U) Tilman Zulch, chairman of the human rights
    organization Society for Threatened Peoples (GFBV), argued
    that the Dutch Government should not reward the military for
    failure, and that the Dutchbatters should have resisted
    Serbian forces. Left-of-center Dutch newspaper Trouw
    questioned whether the Dutch should be happy with this
    gesture -- the answer to this can only be answered by the
    real victims of Srebrenica. Trouw also found it striking
    that Kamp offered no words of defense in response to
    Srebrenica, an omission that renders the insignia distinction
    uncomfortable.

    Why Now?
    --------

    ¶9. (C) Some critics have suggested the insignia is designed
    to highlight a strong, united Dutch military while detracting
    from allegations of Dutch weakness in Afghanistan. In a
    conversation with Polmiloff on December 18, MFA Deputy
    Director for Conflict Prevention, Peace Operations and Civil
    Cooperation Joop Nijssen dismissed these charges, describing
    the insignia as unfinished business from the last
    Balkenende Government. Nijssen said the GONL wanted to
    present the insignia earlier, but feared it might become
    politicized during the recent Dutch parliamentary election
    campaign. Given the Liberal Party's (VVD) poor showing in
    the elections, Nijssen explained, VVD will not be asked to
    join any new coalition, and Kamp will step down as defense
    minister. As such, Kamp opted to present the insignia prior
    to his departure from office; any linkage with allegations of
    Dutch weakness in Afghanistan is spurious at best, Nijssen
    said.

    ¶10. (C) MFA Director of the Western Balkans Division Cees
    Rolz separately rejected any direct linkage with Afghanistan.
    He noted the insignia is intended to boost the morale of
    Dutch veterans, who are held in relatively low regard by
    Dutch society. Rolz suggested the only linkage the insignia
    might have with Afghanistan would be to show Dutch troops
    deployed there that Dutch society does care about its
    veterans.

    Comment
    -------

    ¶11. (C) Srebrenica dramatically influenced Dutch military
    deployments overseas, including especially requirements to
    team with other countries and maintain clear rules of
    engagement -- these factors were considered heavily in the
    Netherlands' decision to deploy to Afghanistan. Srebrenica
    also contributed to an inferiority complex that Dutch
    military leadership has long sought to overcome. During his
    tenure, Kamp repeatedly called for the Dutch military to move
    past their failure at Srebrenica; his first trip as defense
    minister was to Bosnia in an effort to bury the ghosts of
    the past.

    ¶12. (C) While GONL officials reject any linkage to
    Afghanistan, critics are quick to note the insignia
    presentation followed closely on charges by Canadian military
    officers that the Dutch lacked guts regarding the perceived
    need to hunt and kill Taliban forces in Afghanistan. Indeed,
    while publicly Kamp has called for the Netherlands to move
    on, DAO contacts acknowledged that the Dutch military
    privately offered Dutchbatters a chance for redemption by
    serving in Afghanistan -- a strange offer, given Kamp's
    statements that Dutchbat has suffered too long. It is clear
    that as the Dutch military struggles to overcome the past and
    honor its veterans, emotions within Dutch society are still
    raw ten years after its military's failure at Srebrenica.

    BLAKEMAN

`