STATEMENTS BY DUTCH MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS VAN AARTSEN AND DEFENCE DE GRAVE IN RESPONSE TO COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS PUT TO HIM BY PARLIAMENTARIANS ON NMD AND NATO NUCLEAR POLICY

Special meeting of Permanent Committee on Foreign Affairs

  21 February 2001

(unofficial transcription and translation by PENN-Netherlands: these are a selection of interesting quotes. The official report of the meeting will only become available around mid-April)

MINISTER VAN AARTSEN ON NMD

"As for NMD, one could talk about this extensively but perhaps I may deal with it briefly because of the limited time available. Messrs. Koenders, Van Bommel and Van den Doel have talked about it. I think it is correct to say that the worries there were about the US continuing on its way, that these worries have been removed during the last few months.

Hopefully this will also become clear during the meeting we are having at the end of February and in any case this can be verified from our side in the talks we are having on the other side in the course of March."

(EDITOR'S NOTE: the minister is probably referring to talks on the other side of the Atlantic)

"The first question is, and that is an analytical way of looking at the problem..... is there indeed a threat. I believe Mr. Koenders said that the real threats to security are indeed increasing. This analysis is being made. Not (just) the degree to which certain parts of Europe, Russia, the Russian Federation, the US , Asia, Africa are also under a certain degree of threat. The threat is essentially broader."

(...)

"And fortunately, I consider it positive that the US government is prepared and a few weeks ago actually stated that it will take the time for this. It is logical to consider what point we have actually reached technically. A few comments about this have been made this morning. For the Netherlands , we too make this analysis, this is in the first instance, the first priority in the framework of (security) is non-proliferation. Non-proliferation and arms control. Quite rightly we also have a certain reputation in this, we have shown our concern about this, , we have described this in parliament and this line should be continued."

(...)

"Then there is the theme of taking defensive measures, this is TMD, but that is  a matter for the minister of defence. And in part we are of course already participating in this. This also connects with thoughts and ideas but I have no further information on this. And precisely one of the thoughts which we have put on the agenda in the PDR (EDITOR - ?) process is thinking about TMD together with the Russian Federation (....) The other theme entails ensuring that  strategic stability is not disturbed  and a third point, I think an important point, ...that we should not be thinking in the direction of a unilateral abrogation of the ABM treaty. There is no need for this either, there have been adjustments of the ABM Treaty in earlier stages."

(...)

"It is important that the introduction of NMD does not take place at the price of the international arms control regime, because that would be a wrong signal."  

MINISTER VAN AARTSEN,

LATER, IN RESPONSE TO FURTHER COMMENTS

"Mr. Koenders referred to different positions in Europe. I think that these have not all yet crystallised. I think that the position being taken by the Dutch government is shared by a number of EU member states."

(...)

MINISTER VAN AARTSEN ON PARAGRAPH 32, NATO POLICY

"Yes, the Dutch position has been that, together with some countries we have waged a kind of lonely battle on this and I maintain what i stated in the letter....we are reasonably satisfied because there have been outcomes in a number of areas."

(...)

...in general one can say that we did not get as far as the House would perhaps have wanted us too, not as far as we ourselves would have wanted, as we had the debate on judicially binding negative security assurances before..." 

" As for the last: we are part of an alliance which possesses nuclear weapons, this is part of NATO's strategic concept and this therefore means that Holland must play  a role in this.....You will see that the NPT final document is referred to in the paragraph 32 report en this means that in all the negotiating fora which we have on this in the coming years, that the aim remains the abolition of nuclear weapons."

MINISTER DE GRAVE OF DEFENCE ON GREECE:

"There is no question of a change in Greek policy..."

(EDITOR: this probably refers to the press reports of the removal of tacnukes from Araxos air base)

(ENDS)