The team comprising experts and officials of the OPCW and the United Nations which came under attack yesterday has arrived back in Damascus. All members of the team are safe and well, although one driver has sustained minor injuries.
The team was en route to Kafr Zita as part of its mission to establish the facts surrounding allegations of use of chlorine in Syria. The visit was subject to a rigorous security assessment and a local ceasefire had been carefully negotiated for the day with the Government of Syria as well as with armed opposition groups in the area.
Shortly after leaving government-controlled territory, the lead vehicle in the convoy was struck by an improvised explosive device (IED) sustaining severe damage. The team members were rescued and shifted to two other vehicles in the convoy which turned back to move to a safer location. While entering a built-up area the convoy was ambushed; the first vehicle was shot at from close range with automatic weapons hitting the body, windows and tires.
The occupants of the two remaining vehicles, who were briefly detained by some gunmen, were later released upon the intervention of the main opposition group with whom the ceasefire and security arrangements had been negotiated. The reunited team then returned to Damascus via Homs under Syrian Government escort.
While the situation is assessed, the OPCW fact-finding mission will continue its work by closely monitoring the situation and using all possible means to gather information and data in order to establish the facts surrounding allegations of the use of chlorine in Syria.
OPCW Director-General Ahmet Üzümcü spoke to the Head of the Mission and the Team Leader in Damascus and praised the dedication and commitment of the OPCW and UN personnel, who showed great courage in undertaking such a high-risk mission. The Director-General has strongly condemned yesterday’s attack and said that it was a sad day for the people of Syria, and for the international community, because of a blatant attempt to prevent the facts being brought to light. This will not, however, prevent the OPCW from raising its voice against the cruelty of use of toxic chemicals to kill and harm indiscriminately.
OPCW Team Arrives Safely Back in Damascus
Dr. Alireza Jahangiri, Iran’s new Ambassador
Dr. Alireza Jahangiri was nominated by Dr. Mohamad Javad Zarif Minister of Foreign affairs and confirmed by President Hassan Rouhani of the Islamic Republic of Iran .
Ambassador Jahangiri has presented his credentials to His Majesty King Willem- Alexander on April 2nd , 2014 and has officially taken up his duties as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the kingdom of the Netherlands.
Dr. Jahangiri was Director General for International Legal affairs in the ministry of foreign affairs from 2010 to 2014 and has had several posts in this department since 2006.
He has held several national and International positions and led Iranian delegations to international conferences and meetings. Ambassador Jahangiri , as a rector in University , has written two books and many Persian and English articles on legal issues.
The new Iranian ambassador in the Netherlands is seeking to boost Iran’s bilateral relations with the Kingdom of the Netherlands which goes back to four hundred years ago and is willing to express his country’s ancient and historic civilization, culture and interests in peace and security.
Ambassador Pierre Menat, to host Diplomats Meet & Greet in June
By invitation only.
H.E. Pierre Menat, Ambassador of France to the Kingdom of the Netherlands will host the next Diplomats Meet & Greet at Carlton Ambassador Hotel, Thursday June 5, from 6pm. A very special event of Diplomat Magazine!!!
Revealing Dutch Secrets:bitterbal
By Jeroen van der Kolk, CEO InterConnection. j.vanderkolk@inter-connection.nl
Have you ever burned your mouth on one of the most traditional Dutch snacks, the bitterbal? Unlike the name suggests, this typical Dutch snack tastes anything but bitter.
Legend has it that the bitterbal was invented in 1783 by the wife of Jan Barendsz, a café owner in Amsterdam. Barendsz noticed that his guests left his café at the end of the afternoon to go home to eat. To satisfy their appetites, he started serving them slices of sausage and cheese so that they would stay a little longer. One day, his wife had some ragout left over from the cooking and rolled the ragout in a mixture of eggs and breadcrumbs and fried it in hot oil. The little ragout balls were so delicious that Barendsz decided to serve them along with the sausage and cheese. Thus, the bitterbal was born! It became immensely popular as the perfect snack to accompany a (strong) drink. By now, the bitterbal, like its big brother the kroket – a ragout-filled bread-crumbed croquette – has become an essential part of the Dutch snack culture. And the Dutch snack culture is serious business, as becomes clear from the many take-over attempts among Dutch kroket and bitterbal manufacturers. In 2012, a major take-over attempt even forced the Dutch Competition Authority to step in!
Being a typical Dutch product, the bitterbal is exported regularly. Not to be sold in other countries, but to be served during parties at Dutch embassies. It has been said that some Dutch guests abroad sometimes especially attend these parties to finally be able to sink their teeth into a lovely Dutch bitterbal again.
Yes, the Dutch are proud of their bitterbal; but to tell the truth, not everybody likes them. Luckily, there are some good alternative snacks, like the kaassoufflé (bread-crumbed cheese-filled turnover) and vlammetjes (spicy mini spring rolls). Any real Dutch reception will make sure to serve these delicacies too. Finally, a warning is in place for all of those who have not yet had a bitterbal before: when served straight out of the pan, you run a high risk of burning your mouth! It is therefore strongly advisable to only eat a bitterbal when you have a drink in your other hand. No encouragement needed for that of course. And if you do not feel like having a bitterbal, just excuse yourself to your host with the universal reason: ‘I am on a diet!’ Whether it is true or not, everyone will accept it immediately.
www.inter-connection.nl
Ambassador Mrđen Korać organised a roundtable discussion at the ICC
Roundtable Discussion on the Comprehensive Strategic Approach to the Communication Strategy of the International Criminal Court in Situation Countries
Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia and the facilitator for the Strategic Planning Process at the International Criminal Court H.E. Vesela Mrđen Korać organised a roundtable discussion on the comprehensive strategic approach to the Court’s communication strategy in situation countries at the Court on 15 May 2014, which was co-hosted by the Registrar of the Court Mr. Herman von Hebel.
Besides the Registrar the roundtable gathered speakers from other organs of the Court, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, representatives of nongovernmental organisations and States Parties from all regional groups. Participants shared their views on the former and present communication strategies and their recommendations for future. The roundtable was organised with the aim of collecting concrete recommendations to the Court, the States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and civil society.
“The Khon” from Royal Thai
By Julinda Giebel-Muhametaj, Junior Associate Editor.
On May 26th the Royal Thai Embassy presented to the Dutch public, direct form Bangkok, Thailand, “The Khon”, a Thai classical masked dance drama based on the universally known epic “Ramayana”.
Complete photo-album click here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/sets/
Until recently, this traditional Thai performance was performed solely in the royal court or staged for the public by royal command. H.E. MR.Virachai Plasai stated during his speech that it was a unique opportunity to see this performance presented by The Royal Dance troupe (Fine Arts Department, Ministry of Culture of Thailand) for they are known as Thailand’s best group.
During the spectacle we could all see that the words spoken by H.E. Virachai Plasai were not an overstatement: the dance, the movements, the music and the dazzling costumes were magnificent!
During the intermission the audience could enjoy a Thai reception offered by the Embassy.
After the final dance the public was welcomed on stage to take pictures with the complete Royal Dance troupe.
Complete photo-album click here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/sets/
Opening of the public sculpture “Angel of Peace” Pepo Toledo
Works of the famous Guatemalian artist Jose Toledo Ordonez in Whashington DC and the Netherlands.
By Drs. Eva Maria Mennes.
Opening of the public sculpture “Angel of Peace” Pepo Toledo in the gardens of building OAS , Washington DC on May 14, 2014. The urban sculpture ” Angel of Peace ” of the Guatemalan artist José Ordóñez Toledo was inaugurated on May 14 in the sculpture garden of the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington, DC Messrs. Julio Ligorría , Ambassador of Guatemala to the United States of America and Alfonso Quinonez, Secretary for External Relations of the OAS. The ceremony was held at Constitution Avenue and 18th Street NW where the work was installed in the garden significantly situated between the Washington Monument , the White House and the Capitol.
If you want to see more work of this famous artist please visit the DUIN & KRUIDBERG COUNTRY ESTATE, Santpoort-Noord, North-Holland this summer.
The exposition is open until the end of September.
Yun Xie, together with five other artists
By Yun Xie.
Yun Xie, together with five other artists, shows her beautiful art at the exhibition in the famous building of Ernst & Young. The exhibition runs from 16 May until 29 August. The address is Wassenaarseweg 80 the Hague. If you are interested in visiting and enjoying this exhibition during office hours, please phone Ms. Tineke Heins (088-4073848) from EY for a guided tour.
Yun Xie invites you come to Amsterdam Annual Dutch Art Fair (www.adaf.nl) on 27-28th of Sep. Her booth is No.53. Yun Xie came from China and is now living in the Hague the Netherlands. She is a member of the Dutch National Association for Visual Artists. Yun Xie works with ceramics and acrylic or oil on canvas. She loves Chinese culture and art, especially after she left China. Longing for her motherland and relatives, she picked up a paintbrush and a carving tool. Her cultural background and memories are reflected in the art she is displaying in the exhibition. Her work always has a specific Chinese character and soul. In fact she feels she is a cultural ambassador and has a responsibility to show the uniqueness of the ancient Chinese culture and art to the Western world.
The passion for creating ceramic sculptures and paintings comes from memories that she brought with her from China, where the use of ceramics already has a long history. By painting and especially working with clay she feels free and connected to the China.
Her paintings and sculptures are always focused on people in their everyday environment. She loves the feelings that people radiate and show. Her images of people give her the ability to translate positions, attitudes and feelings in her sculptures. This also applies to her paintings. She always say: “The sculptures and the paintings are my cultural soul. They are part of my life.”
More info you can see in http://yunxie-art.com or email to: yunxie@xs4all.nl
The passion for creating ceramic sculptures and paintings comes from memories that she brought with her from China, where the use of ceramics already has a long history. By painting and especially working with clay she feels free and connected to the China.
Her paintings and sculptures are always focused on people in their everyday environment. She loves the feelings that people radiate and show. Her images of people give her the ability to translate positions, attitudes and feelings in her sculptures. This also applies to her paintings. She always say: “The sculptures and the paintings are my cultural soul. They are part of my life.”
More info you can see in http://yunxie-art.com or email to: yunxie@xs4all.nl The Cuban Night
By John Dunkelgrün.
If you have missed the International Music festival this year, get on their mailing list to be reminded next year. It is a real happening and a joyous feast of music in a trio of wonderful – and very Dutch – locations: the old church in Wassenaar, the Waasenaar beach and “De Paauw”, the old Wassenaar town hall.
Between the classical chamber music events is a traditional Cuban Night at beach pavillion “Sport” at the Wassenaarse Slag. The pavillion was decorated with Cuban flags and there was rhum and caipiriña courtesy of the Cuban Ambassy. The Cuban Ambassador, H.E. Mrs. Zelmys Dominguez, was there in a wonderful signature red dress, accompanied by her cultural and political attachés, Mrs Wendy Garayta and Mr. Carlos Rodriguez, as were a nucleus of the Wassenaar and The Hague elite.
The artistic director of the festival, the gifted violinist Ms Irina Simon-Renes acted as MC as if she had never done anything else. Among many other interesting things she told an enraptured audience was that the Tango, way back when, originated in Cuba. She introduced the wonderful band of Estrella Acosta, who with their catching numbers from the 1950’s got even the oldest festival enthusiasts off their feet.
The organisers but especially Mrs. Elizabeth Hessels and Baroness Margaret de Vos van Steenwijk and all the volunteers deserve nothing but praise.
Next year, don’t miss it.
Africa Day 2014 Edition
By Roy Lie A Tjam.
The group of African Ambassadors accredited to the Netherlands hosted Africa Liberation Day 2014 on May 23rd. The location for the event was the Hotel Bel Air, The Hague.
After the welcome address by the African Dean, H.E. Dr. (Mrs.) N.N. Akanbi. OON, all in attendance were invited to savor various African cuisines. There were dishes on offer from Tunisia, South-Africa, Ghana and Kenya, to mention just a few nations.
The program contained further cultural presentations from several countries with all attendees encouraged to dance to live African music.
Click here to see additional pictures of this event: https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/sets/
Click here to see additional pictures of this event: https://www.flickr.com/photos/121611753@N07/sets/