Hello Dalai

I'm not the world's most spiritual guy, but in this case the Lama took the words right out of my mouth:



In other words, Us is Them.

See also: Axioms

The Lama's visit provided the world with another stunning example of Dutch diplomacy: allow the Lama to come, but don't let the prime minister meet with him. But do let the foreign minister meet with him.

*Eyes glaze over*

What's the strategy here? As far as I can see, the intention is to sow confusion about the Dutch position. Because it's a) complicated and b) just the Dutch, no one will pay much attention.

The Chinese will see the Netherlands as a 'borderline' case and the Dutch won't be first in line for economic retaliation. Dutch western allies, to the extent they notice, will regard this as a bit of a weasel move. But how mad can they be? The government did let the Lama meet the foreign minister and after all, it's just the Dutch.

It reminds me a lot of the Dutch position on Iraq: support the war politically but not militarily.

I can just see Osama bin Laden at the meeting where al-Qaida is planning future attacks and going down the list of "coalition of the willing" members.

"The Dutch, I don't quite get this. Were they for the war or against it?" he asks his Western Europe attache.

"Well, it was complicated sir. You see..."

OBL: "Give me the exective summary, curse you!"

"They're not a top priority, sir."

***

Mission accomplished: the Netherlands stays in Washington's good graces but doesn't make itself more of a terrorist target.

This strategy is kind of like not taking vaccination shots: good for the individual (Holland) but bad for the herd (the rest of the West).



Do I have a personal opinion about Balkenende not meeting the Dalai Lama? Well, I think B. should spell out the exact reason why not. Who knows, it could be...enlightening?

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Obama President!

Ah, I can't stay up late tonight, so I thought I would end the suspense and just call this election early.

My thoughts, at this historic moment? Thanks for not asking, I'll tell you anyhow.

Obama was a strong candidate who had quite a bit of good fortune in running after an extremely unpopular Republican administration; and it was the financial crisis that gave him a landslide victory.

The big picture is that Obama inherits leadership of a nation with grave problems, and he will need another few servings of luck to go with his talent if he's going to make a big difference in setting things right.

The small picture is, today is a good day for race relations.



Thank goodness that after today I will never have to listen to another European lecture me on how incurably racist America is.

Of course it is _ and so is every European country, especially the Netherlands. America is several decades ahead in coming to terms with that problem. Call it our 'original sin'.

What a transformation the U.S. has undergone since WWII. Still, if Obama hadn't come along now, it might have been another 50 years (who knows) before a black person were elected.

But now that he has come, it's inevitably going to be a watershed: after this, anything is possible.

So, congratulations and good luck to you Obama. I give you one day for a media honeymoon, and then it's time to get cynical. You are a politician after all.


(cnn)

Condolences to John McCain. I wish I knew what the world would look like now if you had won the Republican nomination back in 2000, when you coulda woulda maybe shoulda.

(elycefeliz)

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Wouter's Wise Words

Wouter is the Dutch finance minister.

He says

I can't imagine that the American financial system will ever again be as it has been. Everyone who now still dares to assert that the financial sector is capable of regulating itself, and shuts his eyes to the fact that that has led in practice to free rein for greed, irresponsible risks and disproportionate, perverse bonus systems, won't be taken seriously anymore. This kind of Capitalism is gone. I think for good.

As a side note, I see the Dutch media all misquoted him slightly. Interesting the things you find out when you use a recording device.

Actual quote:

Ik kan mij niet voorstellen dat de Amerikaans financieele systeem ooit nog wordt zoals het geweest is. Iedereen die nu nog durft te beweren dat de financieele sector in staat is zichzelf te reguleren en de ogen sluit voor het feit dat dat in het praktijk geleid heeft tot eigelijk vrije baan voor hebzucht, onverantwoord risico's en buitenproportioneele, peverse bonussystemen, zal niet meer serious genomen worden. Deze vorm van kapitalism is voorbij. Ik denk voorgoed.

***

In the Dutch media (ANP, repeated by NOS and RTL):

"De hele crisis betekent de definitieve teloorgang van een systeem dat is gebaseerd op hebzucht, onverantwoorde risico's en perverse beloningen", zei de bewindsman vrijdag na afloop van de ministerraad.

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What Does Hillary Want?

(photo stolen from random website).

It's the game anyone can play!

Pundits everywhere are opining about what Hillary Clinton wants from Barack Obama now that he has defeated her and won the Democratic presidential nomination.

It will be fun to look back and see who was right and who was wrong after the fact.

The Oracle of Amsterdam would hardly be worthy of his name if it didn't venture a pronouncement.

Thus, we insert a coin into its mouth and the Oracle begins to speak:

Hillary will be Vice President.

For those who prefer predictions to be backed up with reasoning, read on.

Use Occam's Razor. Hillary's motivation is right in front of us, and has always been: she wants to be President.

As demonstrated by her energy and persistence in the primary, she is a vigorous woman of 60 who still sees many paths to the White House.

It may be hard for those of us who don't share that kind of ambition to understand, but so it is. She has simply made the decision that she is going to "give it her all" to achieve this life goal.

So the question she has asked herself in the mirror since it became clear she was going to lose is, how can she best to leverage a very close second place finish to achieve that goal?

Answer: demand the Vice Presidency.

Consider the many paths to higher power the VP spot holds:



1) Obama screws up massively before the convention.
2) Obama dies before the convention.
3) Obama wins the 2008 election but dies in office.
4) Obama wins the 2008 election but performs so poorly she can challenge him _ or he doesn't run for whatever reason _ in 2012.
5) Obama loses the 2008 election and she can run in 2012.
6) Obama wins in 2008; whether he wins or loses in 2012 she can run again in 2016.

Number six 6) is probably the least attractive option for Hillary, but in any case, she has no reason not to make history as the first woman Vice President.

It's worth mentioning that as a member of the Democratic ticket, she can ask Obama to take over her campaign debts (I believe she owes $20 million).

She is in a strong position to get Obama to agree to make her his partner because:

a) however he feels about her personally, he risks a huge amount _ everything _ politically if he forces a rift with her.

b) He makes an exceedingly good chance of winning if he accepts her.

Politics is about compromise.

And I'm not completely cynical: I believe she will try her hardest to help him win.

By the way, don't let the statisticians convince you the Vice Presidency is a bad place for a politician with presidential aspirations.

Since the dawn of the television age, being "number two" is an excellent place to launch a campaign for the number one spot.

It's far superior to toiling away anonymously in the Senate.

Dick Cheney certainly hasn't allowed the Vice Presidency to grow less important lately.

Who knows, perhaps Obama will also promise to put Hillary in charge of Health Care reform.
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Dutch Parliament swears in substitute for pregnant lawmaker

(Sabine Uitslag. Photo: Geenstijl).

Dutch parliament has sworn in its first-ever "temp" as a lawmaker, replacing one who's going on a 4-month (paid) maternity leave.

This is Holland as its best.

It's a story I tried to do professionally, as a "brief," but we got hung up on one important issue: is it an international "first"?

I mean, most countries allow lawmakers to go on maternity leave (though 4 months is more than you'd get most places). The real question is, do you allow a substitute to take over the job?

If anyone knows the answer, I'd be interested to hear it (maybe in Sweden _ or South Africa?)

(Mirjam Sterk. Photo: Parlement.com).



I called and asked a few questions about it.

In any case, the temp, whose name is Sabine Uitslag, was employed at the "research center" that each of the Dutch political parties have. So that's why it will be easy for her to quit that job and take this one _ for just four months _ and then pick up where she left off. She's a member of the governing "Christian Democrat," or CDA, party.

She will get paid the same, pro-rata, as the woman who she's replacing, Mirjam Sterk: EUR94,000 (US$150,000)

Even if Sterk should decide she doesn't want to come back, Uitslag wouldn't keep the job. In that scenario, the party would go through a formal process of naming a replacement.

It's a bit inside baseball how that happens, but suffice it to say they keep a list of candidates for who's next in line. In this case, the person next in line is: Sabine Uitslag! Small world. But she'd still have to go through the whole confirmation process again.

The party informed me that it was pure coincidence Uitslag is a woman, if anyone was wondering: no gender rules on replacements.

So how does Uitslag prepare for this job? She's been following along with Sterk for the past month, getting ready, attending meetings etc. And she has a resume of blah blah blah, according to the CDA party.

She's not expected to do anything but vote along party lines in most scenarios.

What they neglected to mention at the CDA was that Uitslag also had (has?) a career as a singer in a rock band called "Spinrock."



To find that out, I had to be a reader of "Geenstijl."

I repeat, this is Holland at its best.

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Eveline Herfkens - UNDP - Millenium Goals

(photo: nieuwnieuws.nl)

There's a story in the NRC today about Eveline Herfkens, the woman above, who I had never heard of before.

In short, she was asked to explain why she had received $7,000 per month, against U.N. rules, from the Dutch government for housing while she was a top official at the UNDP.

As part of my ongoing public service, here are some fragments in translation:

"Q: You were earning $160,000 after taxes. In addition (Dutch) Foreign Affairs subsidized your rent. How did that come about?
A: I went to the (Dutch) U.N. embassy and asked for help finding an apartment. I wanted three rooms, a hundred square meters (1000 square feet) and a balcony, otherwise you get claustrophobic in New York. And it had to be walking distance from the office, otherwise I'd lose time in the metro."

-NRC Handelsblad

My first reaction was that the paper was playing 'gotcha.' The longer I read, the more I could see that this was not a case of misquotation, but the rare instance of a public figure speaking freely and honestly in a way that she would very likely later regret.

People are very sensitive to (the appearance) of what Shakespeare called "the insolence of office."

(photo: dcmetroblogger)

Herfkens applied for a U.S. green card, also in violation of UNDP rules.

"The UNDP said, what you're doing is illegal, you have to quit your current contract... Everyone wanted me to stay, so they looked for a different form of contract. I started working unpaid, what did I care? I was paid retroactively eight months later.
I did that because I'm needed for the campaign that I build up from nothing in five years. The campaign succeeded in getting tens of millions of people in more than a hundred countries in motion to demand their governments keep their promises to stamp out poverty in the Millenium Declaration."

A nice exchange:

Q: You didn't know that as a U.N. diplomat you weren't supposed to accept gifts, especially not from your home country?
A: Of course not. Who would ever think that the Dutch goverment would do something against the rules. The Netherlands is such an un-be-lieve-ably goodie two shoes country. Why, should I have checked?
Q: It's in the code of ethics given to every U.N. employee.
A: Is that in there?
Q: Yes.
A: I just wanted to get going. What was my budget? How did I get a secretary? A phone? Sorry, eh, I didn't have time for that kind of thing. I had a feeling of urgency to get my work off the ground."

(photo: wiseacre)


In addition, she only flies business class:

"Of course I understand that some people think that's luxurious. Those are people who only fly for vacation. For me, there were practical reasons. If you fly economy class, you have to check in much earlier. I'm not going to waste any time on that...If I work fewer hours, if I'm less efficient because economy class is more tiring _ So I consider that too."



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Hot Diggety _U.S. Politics!

(obama campaign)

When was the last time you heard someone say that?

I've been enjoying watching the U.S. primaries, and _ speaking as an American, and a reporter immune to *all* political preferences _ I've immensely enjoyed things so far.

First I had to endure hearing Dutch people telling me about how Americans were incapable of voting for a black person _ until Obama won in Iowa.

Then I got to watch all the U.S. polls be wildly, totally wrong about Hillary in New Hampshire _ which means, for years to come, candidates who are behind will be able to say _ legitimately _ that the polls don't matter. And that means, the press will have to take longshots more seriously.

I have to say I'm thrilled with a wide open race on both sides. I honestly think this is good for democracy, that candidates will have to slug it out for a nomination, instead of a coronation.

It's not hard to see scenarios where things are still undecided AFTER 'Super Tuesday' and then what? Guiliani, McCain, Huckabee, Obama, Clinton, Clinton, Edwards, Bloomberg, Gore (?!) Horse trading, joint tickets, cabinet posts promised...

And then, just imagine if in the general election, instead of choosing on the basis of which of the two politicians you hated less, you got to choose between which of two you liked more?

My cup floweth over:

(photos:sterik valens)



Okay, I'm jaded enough that I don't think that's very likely. But you never know.

Bragging rights:

Earlier post on my dad meeting Obama.



p.s. to make things politically level: my stepmom has met Huckabee... MORE

Dutch Will Remain In Afghanistan, Come On Germany!

(photo:soldiersmediacenter)

Newspaper De Telegraaf got hold of a scandalous leak on Saturday: the top secret advice of the country's highest military official, Gen. Dick Berlijn, urging the Cabinet to remain in Afghanistan.

How on earth could this sensitive document (or was it just a briefing that the Telegraaf heard about by word-of-mouth?) have leaked?

The answer: who cares?

The Oracle of Amsterdam says the Cabinet's decision to extend the mission in Afghanistan was made ages ago.

Just as the Bush administration decided it was going to war in Iraq and still made a charade out of promising not to attack if Saddam would step down. These things are always decided in advance.

What remains is the theatrical performance of Balkenende et. al pretending that cancelation is still possible.

The Dutch government wants _ secondarily _ to appear to be a tough negotiator, pressuring other Nato allies to cough up more troops. Back to that in a moment.

Primarily, it needs to make sure the decision appears to have been carefully made through a consensus-building process, in case everything goes wrong and there are a lot of Dutch deaths the government has to pay a political price for.

We call this "ass covering."

And for it to be truly Dutch, there always has to be some stupid nuance, like staying with 1,200 instead of 1,800 (and pretending the difference would bankrupt the country's Defense department, budget EUR8 billion in 2008). Or supporting the Iraq war "politically but not militarily". It won't surprise me if the Cabinet makes another compromise, and stays with 1,400 in the end, instead of 1,200 as reported by De Telegraaf.

So with a little "conspiracy" theory feeling, I'd say this leak may even have been planned. Or not. It doesn't matter: the fix is in. Just as a casual example, here's what LABOR party leader Wouter Bos said about the mission a few weeks ago when he increased it by 80 troops:

"Strictly speaking, this will have no influence on the possible decision to extend," the mission, Bos said.
"But, it is the case that our ... decision ... will be based in part on a safety analysis, and the question of what actual difference the presence of Dutch troops can make in Uruzgan, including for the safety of the local population," he said.

-AP

I don't know how others interpret this, but I read it so:

If the region is unstable, then Dutch troops will be needed to protect the citizens of Uruzgan and make sure the place doesn't disintegrate into chaos.

If the region is stable, there's no reason for them not to stay and do good reconstruction work.

So, the Dutch will reduce their presence slightly and if other recent reports are to be believed, Slovenes and Georgians will fill whatever gap that creates.

Which leads me to my real question:

Where the @!#^#$% is Germany?
(photo:don dees/pingnews)

Now, nobody has forgotten WWII _ or the Turkey's Genocide/Massacre of Armenians, or the U.S. slaughter of native Americans, or go backward through the dirty wars of history ad infinitum.

The point is, this is here and now. I distinctly recall a celebratory mood in Germany after the World Cup, when it was basically proclaimed that WWII was behind it now.

Prove it. Devote the funds and have 10,000 troops trained up and ready to deploy to Kandahar in six months time.

After all, this is not the "bad" Iraq war we're talking about: this is the "good" Afghanistan war, which all of NATO signed on for after 9/11 _ an attack against one is an attack against all. And the Taliban gave al-Qaida their launching pad.

The British and Americans are obviously in as deep as they can be.

France has its special love/hate relationship with NATO, but can convincingly argue it has other commitments in the Middle East right now. Same goes for Turkey.

I know we could talk about the Spanish, Italians, or Polish, but I want to focus on Germany, a wealthy nation, the largest in Europe, and the most able to bear a heavy share of the fighting if it had the political will to do so.

The countries apart from the U.S. and Britain currently in Taliban-heavy areas of Afghanistan:

Canada, population 30 million, have 2,500 troops and have lost 70.
Netherlands, population 16 million, have 1,800 troops and have lost 11.

Of lesser note, Australia, 20 million, is in the hotzone (as usual) with a handful, as are the Danes (population 5 million, 7 dead).

Gemany, with population 80 million, has 3,500 troops stationed in the north.

I understand Germany has 28 casualties, despite the relatively "light" assignment they're on. The Spanish lost 68 in a single plane crash. The U.S. and Britain, bleeding far worse in Iraq, have lost 380+ and 80+ in Afghanistan alone.

Time to step up to the plate, Germany. It's the 21st Century now. The world needs you.

Say your troops are unwilling to take part in the destruction of poppy fields, if that's what it takes to win this thing and bring stability to Afghanistan.

Show a little leadership.

Give Europe a backbone, assume your natural role as its anchor (by participation NOT domination), and become a force for good in the world, rather than limply obsessing about your past and how many percent your economy may grow this year.

That's my $0.02. Now tell me why I'm wrong.
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Satur Ocampo / U.S. fighting Abu Sayyaf in the Philippines / and Communists

Philippine congressman Satur Ocampo visited the Netherlands and spoke to around 50 expatriate Filipinos in Amsterdam Wednesday. Plus two Dutch and one American, if I counted correctly.

I begin by pleading a lot of ignorance about the Philippines.

This man's resume has to be read to be believed. Suffice it to say he's a leftist leader who was tortured under the Marcos regime and arrested as recently this year on rebellion charges. He's never been found guilty and was re-elected to the opposition in May.

Here are two clips of his talk.

In the first he says the U.S. has taken the opportunity of Sept. 11 to re-establish a permanent military presence in the Philippines, using the threat from Muslim separatist (terrorist) groups like Abu Sayyaf and the communist (terrorist) groups (linked to Ocampo) as justification.
Though U.S. troops were expelled from the country in 1992, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo wants U.S. assistance, and her government is dependent on the support of the Philippines' military for survival. So the expansion of defense budgets is a political necessity, and with all that funding, the military must be seen to do something. They've been carrying on military "exercises" in cooperation with U.S. troops continually for five years now, most recently this month.
But victory over either 8,000 communists (?) or the 200-member (?) Abu Sayyaf has remained elusive.






From an outsider's perspective, I'd say Abu Sayyaf (tiny), the Communists (small) and the Army (huge) are all involved in struggles to exert power where they can; all are trying to extract "taxes" by various means in their spheres of influence; and none always follows the rules of war.

Only Iraq has been a more dangerous place for journalists to work since 2003.

The whole reason we hate Al-Qaida is that they kill innocent civilians. Who shall we hate in the Philippines?

The economy is performing well under Arroyo; but bribery is rampant and the human rights record of the country is terrible, according to Amnesty International and others: leftists suspected of links with communists _ and members of the opposition _ are targeted by (para)military forces for summary executions.

To contrast with Ocampo, here's an Agence France Press report on Arroyo from Wednesday:

Speaking to local officials ... Arroyo said the 39-year-old Maoist rebellion "impedes the progress and development of a number of rural areas" where the majority of the poorest Filipinos live.

"So if we are to become a first world country, we'll have to put a stop to this ideological nonsense and criminal acts once and for all and we want to defeat them by 2010."

In the second clip, Ocampo says the military push doesn't jibe well with a general amnesty Arroyo offered to communists in September. He questions whether the economic development that's meant to be paired with the offensive will work in practice.



As a very last remark, I'd say that the intractable problem is trying to get all sides to disarm. Focusing on the army: they must have an enemy and be fighting him in order to justify their existence. Having a large standing army causes all kinds of problems. The Romans knew this, as did U.S. president Eisenhower.

So until the region in demilitarized, including a reduction in the size of the army _ which is not currently on the cards _ I can't imagine that the Philippines will know true peace & stability.
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Princess Maxima: Dutch? No such thing

(Photo: deVos)

Poor Princess Maxima.

First she was named for a Nissan, then she married Dutch Crown Prince Willem Alexander and had a smile surgically implanted on her face.

Now she's gone and said "de nederlandse identiteit bestaat niet," or, "the Dutch identity doesn't exist," _ a remark that's got the country in an uproar.

Well, let's not overblow things. A very few people, mostly Royal House fans, have their panties in a bunch. A slightly wider group think it was a strange or stupid thing to say, and the media have been milking the story for a week now.

Most Dutch people I know have the same initial reaction: 'who does she think she is? telling us there's no such thing as Dutch identity'

Well, Maxima is, of course, a foreigner: she was born in Argentina.

What she probably meant is that this is a multicultural society, with recent immigrants from many places mixing together with 'native' Dutch (native as in Germanic/Scandinavian/Frisian/Spanish/Celt/Pict/Gaullic/Roman) _ who themselves are divided into many categories (Rich/Poor _ Catholic/Protestant/Secular _ Homosexual/Heterosexual _ Randstand/Countryside _ politically right or left: SGP/PVV/VVD/CDA/D66/PvdA/SP/GL/PvdD _ etc., etc.).

So it's impossible to pin down 'identity.' Actually, most universities these days have entire courses devoted to this kind of stuff. A lot of philosophers, especially French ones, are much-talked about. Derrida, Foucault and the ilk.

The trouble is, if you start talking that way, then people quickly point out what an intellectual, privileged, and generally elite viewpoint that is.

Getting back to basics, it's as easy to say what's Dutch as it is to say what's French.

(photo:eMotionBlogster. Maxima with some hoity-toity Dutch nobel who has less work dying her hair).

(bad hair day)

According to newspaper Algemeen Dagblad, the Dutch personality is:
"Thifty; with the famed trader's mentality; a tendency to be pedantic, lecturing with one finger in the air; a lack of respect for authority; and speaking plainly and directly." That's summed up by Thomas von der Dunk, 'culture historian and publicist.'

I like Von der Dunk (the rest of his argument is more subtle) but I disagree with him about the Dutch not respecting authority _ I think hoi polloi in the Netherlands obey institutional power very easily. In my opinion, the Dutch love rules, and trust their government way too much.

But of course, those are generalizations, just like all of Von der Dunks' generalizations. They are true of some Dutch, maybe of many, but certainly not of half, let alone all of them.

If we're going to call this "the Dutch identity," why don't we just throw in all the rest of the cliches, including cheese, clogs, bikes, dikes and windmills, as long as we're at it?

The reality is that, on reflection, Maxima was totally right.

Take Von der Dunk, for instance. I assume that he's 'white,' but he's certainly not immune to multicultural influences: Not many Dutch named their kids 'Thomas' before WWII; Von is German ("van Duytschen bloet," he); and 'der Dunk' _ well, my Dutch friends could probably explain it to me, but I think it points at some dialect, since 'Donk' is far more common.

Maybe he comes from a wealthy family, but I bet he's voting left, given the rest of his arguments made in Algemeen Dagblad, and non-religious.

He can feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. But what I'm getting at is that everybody comes from *somewhere*.

All Maxima really demonstrated is that this country is a little high strung about its identity right now; and she walked right into the tripwire.

If she had said _ "all Dutch should share the ethos that made this country one of the richest and most powerful in the world in the 1600s. Long live the VOC (Far East Indies Company) spirit!" _ a lot of people would have jumped down her throat too.

Namely, a lot of people with ancestors who were colonized by the Dutch, or exploited by the slave trade. Not to mention more than a few anti-capitalist, anti-globalist types.

How do I know? It happened to Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende a few months ago.

You can think of Dutch society as a "melting pot" or a "salad bowl," but either way the idea that it's some Aryan civilization is untenable. People resist it, but that's because they're dreaming of good old days that never existed, or chasing an illusion.

Ergo:

Non sua culpa Maxima est!

(photo:AlliTm)
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The Return of Ayaan Hirsi Ali (?)

The Dutch political establishment is freaking out about the (unconfirmed) return of Ayaan Hirsi Ali, of "Infidel" and "Submission" fame, the woman that the Netherlands was too small to hold.

As the story is being told by Dutch media, she's returned because the Dutch Cabinet refused to foot her security bill in the United States any longer.

It's impossible to know whether there's any scandal or ineptitude on the part of the Dutch government _ this time _ until we know the actual facts of the case, which so far have been noticeably lacking. No one in a credible position to know _ such as herself, her publicist, or the American Enterprise Institute _ has even publicly confirmed that she's back. That's kind of ridiculous, with Parliament demanding answers as to the circumstances of her return.

However, the Dutch government has certainly blundered in the past because of the institutional inexperience here at dealing with people whose life is under threat, and I take the confusion itself as evidence that it is doing so again.

After all,
after the murder of 'Submission' filmmaker Theo van Gogh, they had to put lawmakers Hirsi Ali and Geert Wilders in unused prison cells to guarantee their safety. If that's not the world turned upside down _ politicians in prison, while the people threatening them are running free _ I don't know what is!

Everyone remembers the episode where Immigration Minister Rita Verdonk attempted to yank Hirsi Ali's passport (and I know how she feels) as the reason why she left the country.

But in fact, the real, immediate reason for her departure in 2006 was that her "Not In My Backyard" neighbors in the Hague had successfully sued to have her booted.
They argued that it wasn't fair that they had to put up with black limousines and bouncers coming and going at all hours of the day and night. If you put yourself in their shoes, that's actually not that hard to sympathize with.

So, the government should have a) seen it coming, b) arranged alternate accommodations and c) figured out ways to protect her while being less obtrusive in the meanwhile.

Other rookie mistakes: the Dutch OM (=Public Prosecutors=District Attorney) started to pull prosecutor Koos Plooy _ whose life was being threatened _ off a high profile case because it was getting to be too much trouble to protect him and his family.
In a similar vein, the OM floated the idea of NOT RELEASING THE NAMES OF JUDGES AND PROSECUTORS in criminal cases, to prevent them from becoming targets.

I trust no explanation of why these "solutions" would only have invited worse problems is needed.

In the U.S., prosecutors almost never need protection because criminals understand, the prosecutors are like interchangeable cogs in a machine, and there is no way to intimidate them into backing off a case. Trying to so only increases your chance of getting caught. That was a fight won the Feds won in the 1930s.

So, while in a better world Dutch politicians would be able to bike to work with no protection, that's not the planet Earth we live on.

(from www.HollandCourier.com)

Returning to the current situation: if it turns out the government has merely said it doesn't want to pay for Hirsi Ali's protection abroad any more, and given her fair warning that she has to choose between safety in Holland or whatever deal she can strike with American authorities, fair enough. As defenders of the (unconfirmed) governement decision point out, it's impossible for the Dutch government to know the threat level of all of its citizens living in foreign countries and or pay private firms to protect them indefinitely.

On the other hand, if Hirsi Ali is planning to immigrate to the U.S. anyway _ as her Green Card application implies _ the Dutch government could have just paid another $1 million (or $5 million! whatever. How much could it be?) to protect her until the U.S. takes over or she arranges for private security. Why take *another* black eye to the national reputation over Hirsi Ali, when a tiny bit of grea$e would solve the problem?
And, with due respect, there are not thousands of other Dutch Hirsi Ali's out there breaking the bank with their lavish security costs.

Of course, Hirsi Ali isn't above screwing the Dutch government around a little _ especially given that her political party is in the opposition _ in order to swing a better deal for herself. I don't think she's gotten *that* rich off being an author. Or maybe she's just here visiting friends!

We need to hear the full story, and know what her long term intentions are, in order to form an opinion.

But if it does turn out to be a short-sighted blunder on the part of the CDA Cabinet, I sincerely hope that Hirsi Ali decides to stay in the Netherlands. If her career so far is any indication, the political establishment will sorely regret it ever gave her a reason to return.

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Two Passports Toch? The WRR, "dropping science"

(photo credit: flickr's spatfield. And to quote Michael Jackson's Billy Jean: 'the kid is not my son.')

As I was busy packing my bags for a little intra-Europe travel, I came across the following item:

The Netherlands' WRR, or "Scientific Council for Government Policy," has proclaimed it should be okay for immigrants in the Netherlands to become naturalized Dutch but also retain their original passport.

"The Council pleads for formally-juridically allowing dual nationalities. In a globalizing world, having two passports is becoming a given. Not only for 'New Dutch,' but also for Dutch emigrees. Problems that could arise from allowing officials who represent the Netherlands (to have two passports) should be discussed in a professional manner and resolved in a practical way. In addition, identifying with the Netherlands is more likely to succeed when you're not forced to give up the bond you have with the country you come from."

As some of you know, for me, this is too little, too late. I already had to give up my Dutch passport.

I estimate the cost of all the time, paperwork, citizenship classes and visas over the eight years I've lived in the Netherlands at well over 5,000 euros (okay, peanuts to some, but more than just an inconvenience to us impoverished journalists). And now that the dollar is tanking, that's what, US$1 million?

Kidding.


I have noticed in the past that the WRR is made up of a bunch of well-meaning but impossibly academic folks whose ideas are never taken seriously by the government. And they have zero to do with science that I can see.

I wonder how they're funded?


In any case, this time they are obviously spot-on _ and they came to this conclusion a mere four years after the previous Cabinet's reign of terror began, and only six months after it came to an end.

So: thanks a million, guys.
MORE

(Photo: Jacco de Boer)
The Dutch budget has once again been leaked.

It's a tradition as old as the swallows returning to the mission of San Juan Capistrano. Every year, the government makes the journalists of the Netherlands sign an oath at the crossroads at midnight, drink blood and swear on their great-grandmother's grave that they will not break the embargo, and every year, the budget is leaked several days (with small bits preferably several weeks) ahead of time.

Of course, no one cares about the actual contents of the budget. Nobody not Dutch anyway, or just a few economists somewhere who need the data to plug into their "Eurozone" spreadsheet.

But the reaction of the politicians is often quite amusing, and especially Jan Peter Balkenende went into conniptions in 2005, swearing it would never happen again.

Last year, incredibly, not much got out _ because the actual contents were restricted to top-ranking Cabinet members only, and journalists were told they would never EVER receive the budget again if they broke the embargo (an unenforceable, empty threat).

Even the leaders of the political parties in Parliament were cut out of the loop, which meant debate had to be pushed forward a week after the release, while everyone read through the 50,000 pages it contains to discover what was actually being said.

For anybody sane, a one-page summary would do, but that's not the way these things work.

Interested in a quick summary? Click "MORE".

-they're aiming for a surplus of 0.5 percent this year

-fractionally higher taxes for the rich, fractionally more money for welfare (the shift toward the left in the ruling coalition visible there, barely. But expect much gnashing of teeth from the political right...).

-higher taxes for airlines and gas.

Did I miss anything?

Oh yeah, something about solving the problem of a "graying" population by forcing old rich people with two pensions to pay some taxes on one?

Sex, drugs and rock and roll, it ain't.

footnote: Thanks, RTL Nieuws! The smug look on their reporter's face as he announces the leak is engaging and annoying at the same time...

MORE

Dervis defends Melkert / UNDP - NRC

More in the way of public service; I notice that previous posts on the Ad Melkert/UNDP saga have drawn some traffic; so here's this: The Dutch daily paper NRC Handelsblad has an interview with Kemal Dervis today, defending Melkert.

(oversimplified synopsis of the story so far for those who don't want to read in: some conservatives in Washington think Melkert should leave the UNDP because of the "Cash for Kim" scandal, and some liberals think that's only because the conservatives blame Melkert for the downfall of Paul Wolfowitz at the World Bank).

I think I can claim 'fair use' if I translate the single best NRC quote:

"Mr. Melkert has my support as colleague and as his boss. Last week I spoke with authorities in Germany, France and Britain, and they all support Mr. Melkert. Why is this so personal? It could be because of matters in his political past in the Netherlands, there could be matters dating from his time at the World Bank. You know, I was a politician, he was too. In politics, people make enemies."

On the question of why the UNDP wasn't agreeing to a U.N. ethics investigation into the whistleblower question, despite requests from the U.N. secretary general, Dervis said there is an investigation into the scandal, and on the whistleblower UNDP is following its own rules (which are not the same as those of the U.N.; he hopes to harmonize with U.N. rules in the future).
One other quote: "Despite all the commotion, outcry, there is not one piece of evidence of any personal fraud." MORE

Sison Protest III

Today was the third protest in the Netherlands about the arrest of Jose Maria Sison. It was held outside the court house where he had his second appearance, this time to discuss whether he can be held another 90 days on murder charges.

Actually, I probably would stop posting these entries, but now I notice I'm getting a lot of hits on the site from the Philipinnes, so I consider it a public service.

Here, Luis Jalandoni was starting to say that the Dutch have a lot to lose (in terms of international reputation and ultimately Shell oil interests) if information from the police raids in Utrecht is passed on to Philippine authorities and used to persecute NDF sympathizers (or non-sympathizers!) there.

Dutch prosecutors and Sison's lawyer say that won't happen _ but Koppe didn't rule out the chance some information could go through a back door from the Dutch secret service to the CIA to Manila.

The CPP and Sison are on the E.U.'s terrorism list, after all.

This is lawyer Victor Koppe, explaining to Sison supporters what happened inside. Supporters were crowded around to hear what he had to say (but he still couldn't talk about the evidence).
And here are the supporters. I thought most of them were the same as last time, but a handful of new faces, and maybe a few more people actually. Some were standing near a fence showing signs to passing cars. I still don't think most Dutch know this is even happening: they're much more concerned with internal politics right now. MORE

Balkenende & Guerrilla Girl

These awesome t-shirts 'inspired' by the iconic Che Guevara image were part of the political campaign that got Christian Democrat (i.e. conservative) Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende elected last year. Oh, the delicious irony!

Today, Jan Pronk, the guy hoping to become the Howard Dean of Dutch politics (that is, Labor Party chairman) called Balkenende a "liar" for misleading the Dutch into Iraq.

"We were rushed into that war on the basis of lies," he said. Where have I heard that before?

Sticklers for detail like me will remember that the Dutch technically didn't rush into anything, but had a more nuanced stance on the war, namely that they supported it "politically but not militarily."

Politically but not militarily? Whatever.

Later, the country participated in peacekeeping. In a comparatively peaceful province (al-Muthanna). But I digress.

Pronk later said he "was a little sorry." But he still thinks this country is ruled "by a person who has lied."

In politics, it often seems, the goal is either:
a) a race to see who can say the stupidest thing first or
b) a fight not to have to retract the stupid thing you said.

Meanwhile, the Dutch press is in a tizzy about "Guerrilla Girl," identified (first by website Geenstijl, who else?) as Tanja Nijmeijer, from the small Dutch town of Denekamp.

(photo courtesy GeenStijl).
She studied Spanish, started hanging out in leftist squatter circles in the Dutch city of Groningen, and wound up traveling to Latin America to help impoverished people.

She's fighting for FARC in Colombia these days, and Colombian daily El Tiempo is leaking out the dirty details of her diary bit by bit, milking this story for everything it's worth.

Apparently none of the guerrillas use condoms, and big-breasted bimbos get favors from El Commandante. Her diary was recovered after a raid in which they were caught bathing and had to run into the jungle half-naked!!

Titillating story, no?

So how does this all tie together?

Proceeds from those Balkenende shirts go to a good cause: an organization called COMUNARTE by a young Colombian named Elkin Ramos, in which rather than fight turf wars, gangs are encouraged to dance instead.

Or so they say.

So, if you're either "with us or against us," then you're either a Balkenende or a Pronk, or a Nijmeijer or a Che or an Uribe.

But maybe, just maybe, if Us is Them, and the world isn't all black and white, and you can support a war politically but not militarily, you could choose to be a Ramos instead...
MORE

Sison, Dati and a pretty hectic day

Today was the kind of day where it's so busy things start falling through the cracks.

First there was another protest in front of the courthouse where Philippine communist leader/academic Jose Maria Sison is being held.

(Si-son Vrij! means Free Sison! The man with the megaphone is Luis Jalandoni, and the woman in white is Sison's wife Julie. She has bruises on her wrists where she says the Dutch police grabbed her during the raids; she's not being allowed to see her husband).

Then the French Justice Minister Rachida Dati popped over to check out a Dutch asylum for the criminally insane _ because maybe they want to adopt the Dutch system for recidivist sex criminals. This is a big story in France that no one else cares much about. She spoke French likety-splitly at this press conference.

(sorry for the red eyes, Ms. Dati. I'm still not much of a photographer).

Then there was a ruling in the Sison case, that he can be held for another two weeks.

I'm very, very curious to see the evidence against Sison, and now I have to wonder why the judge is keeping him in solitary confinement. The public prosecutors aren't saying anything about their evidence. That's normal, but the track record of the government isn't great in proving criminal organizations, much less "chain of command" cases.

But basically, we will know nothing for the next two weeks at least.

The news coming from the lawyer is very one sided: he says there was "no evidence" against Sison, but it says something that the judges thought it was enough to hold him anyway.

Having met the man, I will be very surprised if he said anything out loud that could get him into trouble. Various members of the NDF here told stories of how the Dutch police burst into their houses, breaking down the doors. One guy said his kids were like "sheesh, all they had to do was knock."


(I thought it would be cute to see the demonstration from the eyes of the people holding the banners).

Meanwhile, Ms. Dati came through to check out the Dutch system of holding criminals who commit crimes like rape or pedophilia in mental hospitals until they are considered cured _ even if the cure lasts longer then their prison sentence.

It's ironic that the French would consider adopting this system, since it's been one of the number one most criticized policies in the Netherlands in the past five years: prisoners keep escaping supervision while on furlough and committing crimes (rape, murder, you name it).

But that's politics.
MORE

Sison Arrest Protest + Jalandoni

Luis Jalandoni, chairman of the National Democratic Front, despised by the Philippine government.

The protest against the arrest of former (current?) Philippine communist rebel leader Jose Maria Sison today on the Dam was a little surreal.

At the heart of the Dutch capital city, you have a small group of leftists who feel a great injustice has been done by the government of the Netherlands.

On the other side of the world, in the Philippines, the government is celebrating Sison´s arrest, and the rebels there are, well, up in arms.

Meanwhile, Amsterdam rolls on, and you have tourists wandering around the scene, completely oblivious to it all.



Even a scrawny Darth Vader had to turn around to see what was going on.




I've stumbled across a few protests in my day and wondered what the heck they were all about. I certainly can't claim to be an expert on the 39 year (that's "thirty-nine") communist rebellion in the Philippines. It predates me.

I can tell you that whatever else Sison (who I met in 2005) and Jalandoni may be, they are both intellectuals.

This energetic young speaker,

Chico Taguba, of "Rice and Rights," represents the next generation of activists.

"As long as there is oppression, there will always be resistance," he said.

N´est pas?
MORE

UNDP - Melkert - Whistleblower

The U.N. / North Korea / Ad Melkert / Whistle-blower /"Cash for Kim" saga rolls on, as the UNDP calls for an external investigation into whether the whistleblower was wrongly fired. (Story by the AP's U.N. correspondent via the IHT here).

The Dutch connection is that Ad Melkert, the man in charge at UNDP's now defunct North Korea aid program, is a former Dutch politician, and the Netherlands was the agency's single top funder in 2006, giving in excess of $100 million. The North Korea program was canceled in March, in the wake of NK's nuke test blunder, and after Pyongyang refused to follow UNDP's newly enforced official guidelines for aid. The UNDP handed out a grand total of $2.6 million in Pyongyang over the past 5 years.

Key quote from IHT:

When he asked what to do with counterfeit U.S. dollars he found in the office safe on his first day in Pyongyang in November 2004, (whistle-blowing accountant Artjon) Shkurtaj told AP last month he never got a response. And when he complained that paying all North Korean salaries and program expenses in hard currency instead of local currency was against U.N. rules, he said he was told "not to rock the boat."

Shkurtaj said UNDP rules require that counterfeit money be reported to the embassy of the country involved, and since it was U.S. dollars he went to the U.S. Mission to the United Nations when he returned to New York in May 2006. He said (UNDP Administrator Kemal) Dervis and Associate Administrator Ad Melkert told him "they disliked that I went to the U.S. government and reported the counterfeit."

When Shkurtaj's contract ended on March 26, 2007, it was not renewed.

My earlier blog entry on why there's no love lost between Ad Melkert and the Bush administration here.
In sum, some say the administration blames Melkert and the Dutch for Paul Wolfowitz's ouster from the World Bank.

I noticed that on Friday the Dutch government put out a large amount of information in two separate answers to questions put to the Development Minister Bert Koenders by members of parliament.



The Q&A is so long and punishingly boring (repeating every detail of the history of the case) that it's killing to try to read it (especially after midnight on the final weekend of my vacation), but probably it would be of interest to some people if it were published in English.

Well, I'll post the entire thing in Dutch at the bottom but I certainly don't have the heart or time to translate it all.

Among other things, Koenders characterizes Dervis as the chairman of the UNDP, and Melkert as the CEO, in charge of day to day operations.

Some other Koenders quotes:

"On May 31, an initial accountants report was published, carried out by the U.N.'s independent board of auditors (France, South Africa and the Philippines)...
The conclusion was that UNDP in 2002-2006 in a number of respects departed from its normal manner of working, given that local staff were delivered by the North Korean government...salaries were paid in 'hard' currencies (in connection with the high inflation of local currency) and visits to projects were only possible with permission and under observation of NK gov't bureaucrats."

Koenders goes on to say this was basically inevitable given the conditions in North Korea. He also says there's no evidence money ended up where it wasn't supposed to be.

However,

"There's still no clear answer to the question whether it's true that a part of the aid money got through to the North Korean regime. The Netherlands has therefore pushed for a second, broader investigation. UNDP has agreed to put forward a proposal to this end at the upcoming Operating Council meeting of 10-14 September."

On the key question of the Whistle-blower's firing, there's not much added:

"Artjon Shkutaj was in the service of the UNDP office in NK on the basis of various temporary contracts from Nov. 2004 to March 2007. His last contract...was not renewed. Mr. Shkurtaj filed a complaint ... blah blah blah ... asking for whistle-blower protection (initially rejected). On Aug. 21, it became known that the (U.N.) Ethics Bureau has advised implementing a further investigation in this case because at first glance, (his dismissal) could be said to appear to involve a 'payback' (for whistleblowing). In their reactions, The Secretary General and the UNDP said that they will follow that advice. The Netherlands supports this."


The Dutch:


Graag bied ik u hierbij de antwoorden aan op de schriftelijke vragen gesteld
door het lid Van Bommel over het UNDP-programma in Noord-Korea en de rol van de
heer Melkert hierbij. Deze vragen werden ingezonden op 30 juli 2007 met kenmerk
2060722130.

De minister voor Ontwikkelingssamenwerking,
Bert Koenders

Antwoorden van de heer Koenders, minister voor
Ontwikkelingssamenwerking, op vragen van het
lid Van Bommel
(SP) over de heer Melkert en de klokkenluider
van de UNDP

Vraag 1
Wat is uw reactie op het artikel “Ad Melkert en de klokkenluider”? 1)

Vraag 3
Hoe beziet u het rapport van de onderzoekscommissie rondom het ‘cash-for-Kim’
schandaal en de reactie van de heer Melkert hierop? Bent u van mening dat het
een gedegen onderzoek betrof? Kunt u in uw antwoord ingaan op het feit dat de
onderzoekers zelf niet in Pyongyang zijn geweest, alsmede het feit dat de
informatie die was verstrekt niet geverifieerd kon worden?

Antwoord
De Board of Auditors (rapport van 31 mei jl.) had opdracht om in het
initiële onderzoek in te gaan op een drietal kwesties: uitbetaling van
salarissen in buitenlandse valuta, inhuur van lokale staf via de Noord-Koreaanse
overheid, en toegang tot projecten. Het onderzoek was derhalve beperkt in omvang
en opzet, zoals is toegelicht door de Board of Auditors zelf in
hoofdstuk 2 van het rapport.

De Board of Auditors is van plan op korte termijn naar Noord-Korea
af te reizen om de tweede fase van de accountantscontrole uit te voeren.

Ik heb eveneens kennisgenomen van de reactie van UNDP (management
response van 1 juni jl.). Voor nadere informatie terzake zou ik u willen
verwijzen naar mijn antwoord op de vragen van het lid Boekestijn (nr. 206072214
0).

Zodra de VS in januari jl. Nederland informeerde over aanwijzingen te
beschikken dat VN-hulpgelden in Noord-Korea bij het regime terecht zouden zijn
gekomen, heeft Nederland bij UNDP aangedrongen op diepgaand, onafhankelijk
onderzoek. Het onderzoeksrapport van de Board of Auditors geeft
weliswaar inzicht in de drie hierboven genoemde kwesties, doch er is nog steeds
geen duidelijk antwoord gekomen op de vraag of het klopt dat een deel van de
hulpgelden bij het Noord-Koreaanse regime terecht zijn gekomen. Nederland heeft
daarom aangedrongen op een aanvullend, breder opgezet onderzoek. UNDP heeft
toegezegd een voorstel hiertoe voor te leggen aan de komende Uitvoerende Raad
van 10-14 september (UR; bestaande uit vertegenwoordigers van de VN-lidstaten).


Vraag 4
Kunt u aangeven of de onderzoeksmethode waarvan gebruik is gemaakt door de UNDP
in Noord-Korea vaker gehanteerd wordt door de UNDP bij vermeende misstanden? Zo
ja, welke landen c.q. kwesties betrof dit? Bent u van mening dat dit bijdraagt
aan een open en transparante organisatie van de Verenigde Naties?

Antwoord
UNDP en -in meer algemene zin- de VN beschikken over meerdere methoden van
toezicht, monitoring, controle en evaluatie. VN-lidstaten, waaronder Nederland,
beoordelen deze toezichtmethoden als adequaat en in lijn met hetgeen in
internationale organisaties, maar ook bij overheden en bedrijven, gebruikelijk
is. Zo worden alle fondsen en programma’s van de VN (waaronder UNDP) standaard
iedere 1 à 2 jaar onderzocht door externe accountants. Deze rapporten en
aanbevelingen worden jaarlijks aan de Algemene Vergadering van de VN (AVVN)
voorgelegd, waarbij alle lidstaten inzicht kunnen krijgen in de bevindingen.
Daarnaast vinden veelvuldig interne audits plaats.

Het onderhavige onderzoek is uitgevoerd door de Board of Auditors
(BoA). De BoA, die in 1946 is ingesteld door de Verenigde Naties, voert externe
audits uit voor de VN-programma’s, agentschappen en fondsen. Deze onafhankelijke
Board of Auditors bestaat uit de hoofden van auditdiensten van drie
lidstaten van de VN, die elke twee jaar voor een periode van 6 jaar worden
gekozen door de AVVN. De BoA rapporteert via het Advisory Committee on
Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) bevindingen en aanbevelingen
aan de AVVN.

Deze ACABQ heeft, op verzoek van UNDP en de Secretaris-Generaal van de VN, in
februari 2007 het verzoek gedaan aan de BoA om een speciale audit uit te voeren
naar de activiteiten van UNDP (United Nations Development Programme),
UNFPA (UN Population Fund), UNOPS (UN Office for Project
Services) en UNICEF (UN Children’s Fund) in Noord-Korea, met
speciale aandacht voor transacties in buitenlandse valuta, inhuur van staf en
toegang tot projecten.

De BoA verricht circa 30 onderzoeken per jaar, veelal regulier, soms naar
aanleiding van specifieke onderzoeksbehoeften of vermeende misstanden. De meeste
onderzoeken worden openbaar gemaakt. Zo is het onderzoek inzake het
UNDP-programma in Noord-Korea te vinden op de website van UNDP.

Vraag 2
Deelt u de opvatting dat de heer Melkert de facto hoofd van de UNDP is aangezien
Kemal Dervis zichzelf een ceremoniële rol heeft toebedacht? Zo neen, waarom
niet?

Antwoord
Op 1 maart 2006 trad de heer Melkert aan als “UN Under-Secretary-General and
Associate Administrator of UNDP”. De heer Dervis en de heer Melkert zijn een
onderlinge taakverdeling overeengekomen. Daarbij is de heer Dervis vooral
verantwoordelijk voor de VN-brede coördinatie van de ontwikkelingsactiviteiten
van de VN. De heer Melkert is als “Chief Operations Officer” verantwoordelijk
voor de dagelijkse operationele leiding van de organisatie.

Voor nadere informatie zou ik u willen verwijzen naar mijn antwoord op de
vragen van het lid Boekestijn van 30 juli jl. (nr. 2060722140).

1) Vrij Nederland, 28 juli 2007


Graag bied ik u hierbij de antwoorden aan op de schriftelijke vragen gesteld
door het lid Boekestijn over de aantijgingen aan het adres van de heer Melkert.
Deze vragen werden ingezonden op 30 juli 2007 met kenmerk 2060722140.

De minister voor Ontwikkelingssamenwerking,
Bert Koenders

Antwoorden van de heer Koenders, minister voor
Ontwikkelingssamenwerking, op vragen van het lid Boekestijn (VVD) over
de aantijgingen aan het adres van de heer Melkert

Vraag 1
Is Nederland een (zeker verhoudingsgewijs) grote donor van de UNDP?

Antwoord
Ja. In 2006 was Nederland de grootste donor van het United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP), met een algemene vrijwillige bijdrage van €
90 mln. Daarnaast werd in 2006 door Nederlandse ambassades €27 mln. toegekend
aan UNDP-landenprogramma’s, en werd €81 mln. beschikbaar gesteld voor
thematische fondsen (o.a. voor vredesopbouw en versterking van de positie van
vrouwen). In 2007 is Nederland de tweede donor van UNDP (na Noorwegen), met een
algemene vrijwillige bijdrage van €92 mln.

Vraag 2
Wat heeft de Nederlandse regering ondernomen na de eerste berichten over
misstanden bij projecten van de UNDP in Noord-Korea, die onder
verantwoordelijkheid van de heer Melkert werden uitgevoerd?

Antwoord
Als VN-lidstaat en grote donor, hecht Nederland zeer veel belang aan
goede monitoring en controle inzake de besteding van ontwikkelingsfondsen; van
alle VN-organisaties, waar dan ook ter wereld. Nederland heeft derhalve deze
Noord-Korea kwestie van het begin af aan actief gevolgd. Er is sinds januari met
grote regelmaat overleg gevoerd met zowel UNDP als relevante VN-lidstaten, zoals
Denemarken (dit jaar voorzitter van de Uitvoerende Raad van UNDP), de VS, Japan
en belangrijke donorlanden als Noorwegen, het VK en Zweden. Nederland heeft
daarbij steeds aangedrongen op diepgaand onderzoek, door een onafhankelijke
partij, naar gestelde misstanden in Noord-Korea.

Vraag 3
Is bij deze projecten een bedrag van ca. 100 miljoen dollar
zoekgeraakt?

Vraag 4
Is via deze projecten het regime van de Noord-Koreaanse dictator Kim
Jong-Il gesteund?

Vraag 5
Indien bij deze UNDP-projecten in Noord-Korea geen grote bedragen zijn
zoekgeraakt en indien het regime van Kim Jong-Il niet is ondersteund, wat was er
dan wel mis bij deze projecten?

Vraag 6
Wat wordt door de Nederlandse regering ondernomen naar aanleiding van
recente
beschuldigingen door de voormalige VN-medewerker Artjon Shkurtaj dat het bij de
genoemde projecten in Noord-Korea onduidelijk was waar het geld terecht kwam
omdat er contant geld werd betaald zonder ontvangstbewijzen?

Vraag 8
Bent u bereid te bevorderen dat de VN een onafhankelijk onderzoek
instelt naar de projecten die door de UNDP in Noord-Korea zijn uitgevoerd, naar
de wijze waarop daarbij UNDP-gelden zijn besteed, naar het ontslag van de heer
Artjon Shkurtaj en naar de verantwoordelijkheden van VN-bestuurders met
betrekking tot deze zaken?

Vraag 9
Bent u bereid de Nederlandse bijdrage aan de UNDP op te schorten indien
de VN weigert een dergelijk onafhankelijk onderzoek in te stellen? 1)

Antwoord
Aangezien de Noord-Koreaanse bevolking het afgelopen decennium zwaar
heeft geleden onder structurele hongersnood, heeft de internationale gemeenschap
de afgelopen tien jaar voor honderden miljoenen aan voedselhulp gedoneerd, voor
het overgrote deel via het World Food Programme van de Verenigde
Naties. De afgelopen vijf jaar is uit UNDP-middelen - met goedkeuring van de
Uitvoerende Raad (UR; bestaande uit vertegenwoordigers van de VN-lidstaten) -
gemiddeld 2,6 mln. US dollar per jaar beschikbaar gesteld voor on
twikkelingsactiviteiten in Noord-Korea. Het UNDP-programma bestond voo
rnamelijk uit capaciteitsopbouw, met als belangrijk doel de Noord-Koreaanse
afhankelijkheid van voedselhulp te verminderen. Daarnaast zette UNDP zich samen
met organisaties als UNICEF en de World Health Organisation in voor
meer onderwijsvoorzieningen en betere gezondheidszorg voor de Noord-Koreaanse
bevolking.

Op 14 oktober 2006 stelde de VN-Veiligheidsraad sancties in tegen Noord-Korea
in reactie op de Noord-Koreaanse kernproef. Verschillende leden van de
Uitvoerende Raad van UNDP, hierin gesteund door
Nederland1(#ftn1), waren van mening dat de sancties ook
gevolgen moesten hebben voor zowel de inhoud en opzet van het UNDP
landenprogramma in Noord-Korea als voor controle en toezicht op de implementatie
ervan. Daar kwam bij dat de VS in januari jl. mededeelde over aanwijzingen te
beschikken dat in de afgelopen tien jaar een deel van de VN-hulpgelden bij het
Noord-Koreaanse regime terecht was gekomen.

Na uitvoerige consultaties van UNDP-medewerkers met vertegenwoordigers van
VN-lidstaten tijdens de UNDP Uitvoerende Raad van 22-26 januari jl. stelde het
UNDP-management aan de UR voor om de volgende maatregelen te nemen ten aanzien
van het UNDP-landenprogramma Noord-Korea:

- het laten verrichten van een externe accountantscontrole;
- aanpassing van het programma door meer nadruk op humanitaire hulp in plaats
van ontwikkeling;
- geen betalingen meer in harde valuta;
- geen stafrecrutering meer via de overheid;
- alle uitvoering van programma’s zou voortaan door UNDP ter hand worden genomen
(en niets meer door de lokale overheid);
- versterking van monitoring en evaluatie, waaronder gegarandeerde onmiddellijke
toegang tot alle projecten.

Onder deze voorwaarden ging de UR akkoord met het voorgestelde
UNDP-landenprogramma Noord-Korea. Uiteindelijk bleek Noord-Korea echter niet
bereid het gehele pakket aan maatregelen te accepteren. Het UNDP-management
heeft vervolgens besloten het programma in Noord-Korea met ingang van 1 maart
jl. in zijn geheel op te schorten.

Op 31 mei jl. werd een eerste externe accountantscontrole gepubliceerd,
verricht door de onafhankelijke Board of Auditors van de VN (bestaande
uit de hoogste overheidscontroleurs van Frankrijk, Zuid-Afrika en de
Filippijnen). De conclusie van deze externe accountants is dat UNDP in de
periode 2002 t/m 2006 in een aantal opzichten van zijn standaard werkwijze is
afgeweken, aangezien lokale staf werd geleverd door de Noord-Koreaanse overheid
(overigens is de UR hier in 2001 over ingelicht), salarissen in harde valuta
werden uitbetaald (in verband met hoge inflatie van de lokale munt) en bezoek
van projecten alleen mogelijk was met toestemming en onder begeleiding van
Noord-Koreaanse overheidsfunctionarissen.

UNDP heeft op 1 juni jl. een reactie uitgebracht op het rapport. Hierin licht
UNDP toe dat in Noord-Korea gewerkt moest worden onder moeilijke en
uitzonderlijke omstandigheden, en dat daarom in in een aantal opzichten moest
worden afgeweken van gangbare procedures (waarbij volgens UNDP overigens geen
sprake is van handelen in strijd met interne regelgeving). Zo stelt UNDP dat de
positie van de lokale stafleden in Noord-Korea niet vergeleken kan worden met
die in andere landen, aangezien de staf in Noord-Korea formeel in dienst was van
de Noord-Koreaanse autoriteiten, en niet van UNDP. Voor wat betreft het inhuren
van staf via de overheid en het betalen van salarissen in harde valuta, stelt
UNDP dat dit in de Noord-Koreaanse context onontkoombaar was. UNDP voegt daaraan
toe dat alle in Noord-Korea aanwezige internationale organisaties (o.a. UNICEF,
WHO, WFP, UNFPA) en diplomatieke vertegenwoordigingen (o.a. Zweden) wat dit
betreft dezelfde praktijken volgen als UNDP. UNDP benadrukt dat er geen enkel
bewijs is dat hulpfondsen gebruikt zouden zijn voor andere doeleinden dan
waarvoor ze bestemd waren. UNDP heeft regelmatig bezoeken gebracht aan de
gefinancierde projecten en is daarbij nooit op substantiële onregelmatigheden
gestuit. De Noord-Koreaanse autoriteiten hebben nimmer toestemming geweigerd
voor dergelijke bezoeken. Dat UNDP bij die bezoeken altijd werd vergezeld door
een tolk en een voor het project verantwoordelijke overheidsfunctionaris is
vrijwel overal ter wereld gebruikelijk.

De Board of Auditors is van plan op korte termijn naar Noord-Korea
af te reizen om de tweede fase van de op 31 mei gepresenteerde
accountantscontrole uit te voeren. De onderzoeksvragen voor deze tweede fase
zijn aanzienlijk breder opgezet dan die van de eerste fase.

Toen duidelijk werd dat het op 31 mei gepresenteerde onderzoek van de
Board of Auditors te beperkt in omvang en opzet was om een duidelijk
antwoord te kunnen geven op de vraag of het klopt dat een deel van de
VN-hulpgelden bij het Noord-Koreaanse regime terecht is gekomen, heeft
Nederland, samen met gelijkgezinde VN-lidstaten, aangedrongen op een aanvullend,
breder opgezet extern onderzoek. Zowel de Secretaris-Generaal van de VN als UNDP
hebben het belang erkend van een dergelijk complementair onderzoek, teneinde
zeker te kunnen stelllen dat de VN-hulpfondsen in Noord-Korea daadwerkelijk bij
de noodlijdende bevolking terecht zijn gekomen. Nederland en de andere meest
betrokken VN-lidstaten hebben de afgelopen tijd vrijwel dagelijks overleg
gevoerd met UNDP om ervoor te zorgen dat dit onderzoek er zo snel mogelijk komt.


Dit heeft op 23 augustus geleid tot de presentatie van een voorstel van
Denemarken, de voorzitter van de Uitvoerende Raad van UNDP, voor een aanvullend
onderzoek door een team van vooraanstaande, internationaal zeer gerespecteerde
personen, die buiten het VN-systeem staan. Dit team zou voornamelijk onderzoek
moeten doen naar de volgende kwesties:

Nederland zal zich er samen met gelijkgezinden sterk voor maken dat de
aanstaande Uitvoerende Raad (10-14 september) het groene licht geeft voor dit
onderzoek. Voorts is Nederland bereid zonodig bij de Noord-Koreaanse
autoriteiten aan te dringen op het verlenen van medewerking aan het onderzoek.


Vraag 7
Wie is verantwoordelijk voor het ontslag van deze Artjon Shkurtaj, die
had gevraagd om de status van klokkenluider?

Antwoord
De heer Artjon (Tony) Shkurtaj was van november 2004 tot maart 2007 in
dienst van het UNDP-kantoor te Noord-Korea op basis van diverse tijdelijke
contracten. Zijn laatste contract, dat afliep in maart 2007, is niet opnieuw
verlengd door UNDP. De heer Shkurtaj heeft in juni jl. bij het Ethiek Bureau van
de VN bezwaar aangetekend tegen de niet-verlenging van zijn contract en verzocht
om toekenning van de beschermde status van klokkenluider. Op 21 augustus werd
bekend dat het Ethiek Bureau heeft geadviseerd nader onderzoek in te stellen in
deze zaak, omdat op het eerste gezicht sprake zou kunnen zijn van vergelding. In
hun reacties lieten de Secretaris-Generaal en UNDP weten dat het advies om
nader, extern onderzoek in te stellen, zal worden opgevolgd. Nederland steunt
dit.

1) Zie o.m. NOVA, 25 juli 2007, de Volkskrant, 25 juli 2007 en het Algemeen
Dagblad, 24 juli 2007.

Toelichting: deze vragen dienen ter aanvulling op vragen van
het lid Van Bommel (SP), ingezonden 30 juli 2007 (vraagnummer 2060722130)

1(http://www.minbuza.nl:80#): I.v.m. een roulatieschema binnen de groep westerse landen is
Nederland dit jaar geen lid van de UR van UNDP. Echter, als tweede donor van
UNDP heeft Nederland een invloedrijke positie, ook al hebben we thans de status
van waarnemer. Overigens beschikken waarnemers over vrijwel dezelfde rechten als
leden als het gaat om het bijwonen van vergaderingen, spreekrecht e.d. Het
belangrijkste verschil in status is dat waarnemers geen stemrecht hebben. Dit
maakt in de praktijk echter niet veel uit, omdat in principe alle besluitvorming
o.b.v. consensus plaatsvindt.

De minister voor Ontwikkelingssamenwerking,
Bert Koenders

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