The new US ambassador to the Netherlands found himself headline news on Thursday afternoon, after apparently criticising Geert Wilders at a get-to-know-you meeting with the Dutch media.

Timothy Broas, who has been in the Netherlands for a week, reportedly told journalists: ‘I have heard that a certain politician last week spoke about having fewer Moroccans. That sort of statement conflicts with Dutch values,’ the Volkskrant quotes Broas as saying.

‘The Netherlands has always been a country of tolerance… Perhaps I have not been properly informed but I have, for example, heard that there are groups who want to stop immigration to the Netherlands,’ the paper quotes him as saying.

‘It is not my business to say who can and who can’t move to the Netherlands but it is my job to promote the shared values between the Netherlands and the US.’

Reluctance

The paper says Broas’ comments are noteworthy because ambassadors ‘are usually very reluctant to comment on events or developments in the country where they are a guest’.

Nos television pointed out that Broas is ‘not a seasoned diplomat’ and that his new position is ‘being seen as a reward for his financial support for [US president Barack] Obama’s election campaign.’

The NRC says the incident highlights Broas’ inexperience. He did not have Wilders’ name at the ready and thought the anti-Moroccan chanting incident took place before the local elections and not on the evening after the vote, the paper points out.

Broas’ appointment comes over two years after his predecessor, Fay Hartog Levin, left the Netherlands. He told the Telegraaf the delay was down to political divisions not negative feelings towards the Netherlands.

Some 40 other nominations are currently waiting for senate approval, he told the paper.