Country Report the Netherlands
June 2003-June 2004
ENAAT-Meeting June 5-6, 2004 Brno, Czech Republic
Explosive Material
Finally after about four years of work, including a lengthy Freedom of
Information Act procedure (that still continues and now has arrived at
the highest court), our book "Explosive Material - Dutch Arms Trade
Revealed" came from the press in late November last year.
Some main points in the book:
- State-sponsored export promotion is an important tool. Ministers
and the Dutch crown-prince lend a helping hand at arms exhibitions
abroad. Large amounts of money are spent on export credits. Not
surprisingly armed forces surplus material makes up a large amount of
all exports.
- Despite government support of the campaign against the (illegal)
small arms trade, Dutch exports of small arms and ammunition
contributes to 20% of the number of arms export licences. In 1990, on
the eve of the war in Yugoslavia, small arms ammunition licences were
granted. Dutch company Metaalwarenfabriek Tilburg turns out to be a
world market leader in cartridge links.
- Many questions arise when looking at dual-use export licences.
Not only one wonders whether end-user control is as water-proof as the
government claims, large amounts of dual-use chemicals are cleared for
export to non-signatories of the Chemical Weapons Convention. Also
millions of euros of dual-use night vision components and technology
slip through the nets of arms embargos against India and China.
- A duty to report exports of so-called non-strategic goods and
services with a military destination was silently cancelled in 2002. It
is estimated that this trade amounts to about a hundred million euros
every year - without any control. A remarkable example is the Dutch
contribution to the building of the largest Asian naval basis, in
Karwar, India, in the future home of the naval arm of India's nuclear
triad.
- Despite new legislation transit of arms keeps many loopholes and
therefore goes largely unchecked. Israel for example still received
arms through the Netherlands, despite the war against the Palestinians.
- Dutch defence industry is largely dependant of the offset policy
that accompanies large arms purchases abroad. For exports of for
example Apache and F-16 components end-user certificates are hardly
required. The Dutch authorities consider the American export policy
sufficient, despite US Apache en F-16 sales to Turkey, Israel, Taiwan
and Kuwait � normally sensitive destinations for Dutch arms.
Electronics company Philips is an exception, openly quoting their
delivering of parts for the Israeli Apache programme. For participation
in the Joint Strike Fighter Project it has already been arranged with
the US that they alone decide who to sell to.
Though sales so far have not completely been what we had hoped for,
we're still satisfied. The book has been received well by politicians
and the media. The book was shown in one of the main news programmes on
TV and there were several interviews on Dutch national radio. A leading
conservative daily quoted the book as being 'sometimes activist-like'.
Indonesia
As we wrote before, the Dutch naval industry has lobbied hard for new
contracts with Indonesia. Late last year it was revealed that De
Schelde shipyard was about to sign a contract with the Indonesian navy
for the sale of 2 corvettes, with an option to build another 2 at PT
Pal in Surabaya. De Schelde had been supported by a Dutch admiral who
had sent a letter of recommendation to his Indonesian counterpart. If
finalised it will be the largest Dutch arms export in 20 years. In
parliament there was no majority against the deal. Proponents have
consistently put forward that the warships will be for coastguard
tasks, anti-piracy and anti-smuggling purposes only. Involvement in
military operations like the conflict in Aceh was therefore said to be
unlikely.
A previous export of Dutch naval equipment had been justified with
similar arguments. It nevertheless turned out last year that one of the
ships concerned did take part in operations in Aceh. That Dutch
corvettes will turn up in conflicts in Indonesia in the future is
therefore very likely. Though it seems difficult to obstruct the deal,
we will continue to resist it.
AQ Khan - the Dutch connection
With the unfolding nuclear proliferation scandal, allegedly lead by the
Pakistani Abdul Qadeer Khan, the decades old Dutch connection
resurfaced. For Greenpeace International we participated in a report
called "A.Q. Khan, Urenco and the proliferation of nuclear weapons
technology", that was released at a meeting of Non-Proliferation Treaty
officials at the UN in New York. Our contribution was an extensive
overview of Khan's time here in the '60s and '70s and his later trade
with especially one old study friend Henk Slebos, who is currently
involved in a criminal case against him for alleged illegal exports to
Pakistan. Already in September last year we revealed that Slebos was
sponsoring a symposium of KRL, Pakistan's Khan's nuclear institute. We
are frequently approached by both national and international media with
questions on the Dutch side of the Khan case.
In short:
"Undermining Global Security: the European Union's arms exports"
Early May the Amnesty International report "Undermining Global
Security: the European Union's arms exports" came out, for which we
have contributed important input concerning the Dutch side of the
story.
ABN Amro out of cluster bombs - others still in
A 2-year long campaign finally made ABN Amro sell its share in INSYS,
the British arms company involved in cluster bombs. A new campaign by
the Belgian peace movement however revealed that other banks, among
others ING and Fortis, do have shares in companies that produce cluster
munitions.
India-Pakistan
Almost a year ago the 1998 arms embargo to India and Pakistan, that was
announced straight after both countries' nuclear tests, was finally
lifted. Though we think we have contributed a fair part to the
continuation of it, despite strong industry opposition, due to the new
political constellation here there was no more a majority in Parliament
that supported our view. We will of course go on closely monitoring
Dutch exports to the region.
Exit RDM
After ammunition and explosives factories Muiden Chemie, Eurometaal and
De Kruithoorn disappeared over the last years, in April the news came
that also RDM, submarine builder and artillery upgrader, had gone
bankrupt. There is news now however that parts of the company will
re-appear under a new name. The company lately had won an artillery
contract for the Jordanian special forces. Chile and the UAE were other
big customers of tanks and cannons over the last years. Attempts to
sell submarines to Taiwan, Indonesia, Egypt and Pakistan always failed.
China
With the upcoming Dutch chairing of the EU we are curious what will
happen to the EU-embargo against China. Though a majority in parliament
here was in favour of keeping it in place, the government was ready to
follow any majority in the EU in favour of lifting it. Because of Irish
hesitation an expected decision was postponed. There is apparently
great pressure from the US to keep the embargo, not so much more from a
human rights point, but out of strategic reasons.
Annual Report on Arms
The Annual report 2002 was released late last summer, the new 2003 one
will be out probably in two or three months. See for a
compilation of figures since 1997.
