No resentment, no irritation, but friends and partners. That was the atmosphere of his chat with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Washington, says Dutch Foreign Secretary Uri Rosenthal.

There were no Dutch ministers at the G-20 meeting in the US capital last week. This raised the question whether the Americans were annoyed at the slimmed-down Dutch role in Afghanistan. But Mrs Clinton had nothing but praise for the Netherlands.

At the end of the visit Mrs Clinton thanked the Dutch for their work in Afghanistan, and stressed the good relations between the Netherlands and the US. “We have so much that we are working on together,” she said, “we have so much in common, our histories and our culture are entwined, we are your friend, we are your partner and I appreciate your efforts.”

Complimentary
There hadn’t been a hint of discord behind closed doors either, said Mr Rosenthal. “There’s no question of any resentment, irritation or whatever from my American counterpart,” he said. “On the contrary, she is extremely complimentary about the efforts the Netherlands is making in the international community on many fronts.”

The US government was also very appreciative of the Netherlands’ forthcoming police training mission in the Afghan province of Kunduz, the foreign minister added.

The conflict in Libya was an important topic of discussion, with both the US and the Netherlands playing an active role in the country. It was too soon to talk of a stalemate, Mrs Clinton said. Patience was needed before for NATO’s efforts ultimately led to the fall of the Libyan leader – the outcome both the Netherlands and the US desire.

Sanctions
It would take time for sanctions to take effect, Mr Rosenthal said. “I add my mantra: we’re not only dealing with a military mission, we’re not only dealing with the political process via the contact group, in which the Netherlands is also participating. We are also dealing with making the best possible use of sanctions. If we do that, I’m certain we can squeeze and constrict the regime in Tripoli, and it will come to an end in the not too distant future.”

Secretary Clinton praised her Dutch counterpart for a number of specific suggestions to tighten sanctions. Mr Rosenthal was not willing to go into any detail. “There are many areas in which sanctions can be extended,” he said, “but I won’t mention them now in public because in the coming days we also need a thorough exchange of ideas on them with other allies and members of the United Nations.”

(mb/nc)