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International

Published: Friday, August 24, 2007
Bylined to: Jos de Roo

Chavez to annex the islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao?  PHOOEY!

Radio Netherlands (Jos de Roo): For a moment it seemed that the borders of the Kingdom of the Netherlands were in danger ... Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez allegedly wanted to annex the islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao, according to the weekend edition of the Dutch newspaper 'De Telegraaf.'

As it quickly turned out, Mr. Chavez had made an exception for the ABC Islands and had his eye on the Aves atoll, which is located in the northern part of the Caribbean basin, not far from Dominica.

The commotion caused by inaccurate news coverage shows that the Netherlands might, against its will, become involved in an ongoing conflict between Venezuela and the United States. What's more, the Dutch press might, before they know it, become an instrument in the US anti-Venezuelan campaign.

Bilateral agreement -- What is it all about?

Venezuela wants to expand its economic zone to 200 miles from its coast. By doing so, it will own exclusive fishing rights as well as mineral resources. There's a lot of fish around Aves and it's very likely there is a lot of gas and oil in the ground as well. Venezuela's claim is legitimate. The Netherlands has acknowledged the Venezuelan rights on Aves in a bilateral agreement.

However, the fact that Venezuela is now claiming the 200 miles economic zone does mean that neighboring countries like Dominica can claim less, because the zones overlap each other. In addition to that, it makes clear that Venezuela wishes to play a bigger regional role.

A Latin American leader: The expansion of Venezuela's influence is part of the dispute between Venezuela and the United States. Hugo Chavez wants to keep America's influence on the western hemisphere under control. He is using the latent anti-American feelings in Latin America to that effect.

Mr. Chavez is provoking the US by chumming up with a country like Iran. By doing so, he is showing the South Americans they don't need to let themselves be spoon-fed by the US. This gives him the opportunity to present himself as the new leader of the continent. The United States is looking upon this with concern. An extra thorn in America's side is Mr. Chavez' left-wing politics and his friendship with Fidel Castro.

As in any dispute, the image conveyed by the media is crucial. It is important to manipulate the information in such a way that the general public and the politicians in other countries think that there is a danger that needs to be averted. Mr. Chavez portrays the US as a bogeyman, but the US puts up a good show, too.

Nothing is wrong

Of course, Washington knows very well that the border between the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Venezuela has been laid down in 1978 and that Mr. Chavez, in parliament, skirted widely with his marker pen around the Leeward Islands, when he indicated how big the economic zone was supposed to be.

Washington is also familiar with the visit of the Dutch former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ben Bot, in July 2006. Then, Mr. Bot reassured Chavez that the Netherlands wouldn't allow the US to use the Leewards for an invasion of Venezuela. Mr. Chavez, on his part, stated he didn't claim the islands whatsoever, as long as they are part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

In fact nothing is wrong, but that doesn't fit into the United States' publicity campaign.

• The media leave all this information out, thus reporting that Venezuela wants to expand its borders and, by doing so, wants to swallow up the Leeward Islands.

Good relations with Caracas and Washington

That's how the Netherlands got involved in the dispute between Venezuela and the United States. Venezuela is looking with Argus' eyes at the inaccurate news coverage, thinking: is there an American invasion plan in the making behind the scenes?

The Netherlands Antilles and Aruba are scared by the reports from the Netherlands, asking the Netherlands to sort out the state of affairs in Venezuela. The Hague knows a claim on Aruba or Netherlands Antilles territory doesn't exist whatsoever, also not in President Chavez' speech.

• The Hague values good relations with Caracas, not only because of Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles, but also because Dutch businesses have great interests in the country.

At the same time there are strong transatlantic ties with the US ... dowever, the Dutch are afraid of a further escalation of the conflict between Venezuela and the United States, which would bring about the isolation of Venezuela. In such a position, the Netherlands would be forced to choose between America and Venezuela, which, in fact, wouldn't be a real choice

Semantics

Therefore, the Dutch Foreign Affairs Ministry needs to be very careful about expressing its reactions to the outside world. No one can talk to Minister Verhagen about this subject, because, in an interview, a slip of the tongue is never far away. Soothing statements are the only things heard from the Ministry, saying that nothing is wrong and that it attaches great value to cooperation with Venezuela.

The declaration also says that the Netherlands will ask Venezuela for a clarification, and that that is something completely different than asking for an explanation. The primary reason of The Hague for doing this is to reassure Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles.

Support for the US

For the time being, the United States is the one that is sitting pretty. Venezuela has been put in the wrong for a while. By conveying this impression, the US has already won the support of both a political party and a newspaper in the Netherlands. The conservative parliamentarian Van Baalen was quick to shout: "Hands off the Antilles and Aruba!"

This week, De Telegraaf was barking up the same tree with the headline "War rhetoric Chavez aimed at Curacao, Aruba and Bonaire," even though the facts have been known for a long time.

But facts don't matter in the dispute between Venezuela and the United States