Ben Bot
{{Short description|Dutch politician and diplomat (born 1937)}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix =
| name = Ben Bot
| image = Bernard Bot (agenciabrasil).jpeg
| imagesize =
| caption = Bot in 2007
| office = Minister of Foreign Affairs
| term_start = 3 December 2003
| term_end = 22 February 2007
| primeminister = Jan Peter Balkenende
| predecessor = Jaap de Hoop Scheffer
| successor = Maxime Verhagen
| office1 = Permanent Representative of the
Netherlands to the European Union
| term_start1 = 1 October 1992
| term_end1 = 1 January 2003
| predecessor1 = Unknown
| successor1 = Tom de Bruijn
| office2 = Ambassador of the Netherlands
to Turkey
| term_start2 = 1 January 1986
| term_end2 = 1 January 1989
| predecessor2 = Unknown
| successor2 = Unknown
| office3 = Deputy Permanent Representative
of the Netherlands to NATO
| term_start3 = 1 January 1982
| term_end3 = 1 January 1986
| predecessor3 = Unknown
| successor3 = Unknown
| office4 = Ambassador of the Netherlands
to East Germany
| term_start4 = 30 January 1973
| term_end4 = 15 December 1976
| predecessor4 = New title
| successor4 = Unknown
| birthname = Bernard Rudolf Bot
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=y|1937|11|21}}
| birth_place = Batavia, Dutch East Indies
| death_date =
| death_place =
| nationality = Dutch
| party = Christian Democratic Appeal
(from 1980)
| otherparty = Catholic People's Party
(until 1980)
| spouse =
| partner = Sybilla Dekker
(since 2008)
| children = 3 children
| father = Theo Bot
| residence = The Hague, Netherlands
| alma_mater = Leiden University
(Bachelor of Laws, Master of Laws, Doctor of Philosophy)
Harvard University
(Juris Doctor, Master of Laws)
| occupation = {{hlist|Politician|diplomat|civil servant|nonprofit director|lobbyist{{in lang|nl}} [http://www.meinespartners.nl/medewerkers/bernard_bot Bernard Bot] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120819142226/http://www.meinespartners.nl/medewerkers/bernard_bot |date=August 19, 2012 }}, Meines & Partners, 20 May 2012}}
| signature =
| website =
}}
Bernard Rudolf "Ben" Bot ({{IPA|nl|ˈbɛrnɑrt ˈrydɔl(ə)v bɛm ˈbɔt}}; born 21 November 1937) is a retired Dutch politician and diplomat. A member of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), he served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2003 to 2007 in the second and third cabinet of Jan Peter Balkenende. A career ambassador, he succeeded then-Minister of Foreign Affairs Jaap de Hoop Scheffer who resigned to become Secretary General of NATO.{{in lang|nl}} [http://www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2824/Politiek/article/detail/741436/2003/09/30/Bot-vervangt-De-Hoop-Scheffer-begin-december.dhtml Bot vervangt De Hoop Scheffer begin december] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304061439/http://www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2824/Politiek/article/detail/741436/2003/09/30/Bot-vervangt-De-Hoop-Scheffer-begin-december.dhtml |date=March 4, 2016 }}, De Volkskrant, 30 September 2003{{in lang|nl}} [http://www.trouw.nl/tr/nl/4324/nieuws/archief/article/detail/1780730/2003/09/30/Ben-Bot-65-nieuwe-minister-op-BZ.dhtml Ben Bot (65) nieuwe minister op BZ] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141229123421/http://www.trouw.nl/tr/nl/4324/nieuws/archief/article/detail/1780730/2003/09/30/Ben-Bot-65-nieuwe-minister-op-BZ.dhtml |date=December 29, 2014 }}, Trouw, 30 September 2003
Early life and education
Bot was born in Batavia, Dutch East Indies (now Jakarta, Indonesia). The son of Theo Bot who served as Minister of Education, Culture and Science and Minister for Development Cooperation. He studied at the Leiden University where he earned an L.L.M. and a Ph.D. degree in law, and attended subsequently The Hague Academy of International Law and Harvard Law School (Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States) where he received a second L.L.M. degree from the latter.
Politics
File:Bot rice 4.jpg Condoleezza Rice in 2006.]]
File:Flickr - europeanpeoplesparty - EPP Summit 14 December 2006 (8).jpg Nicolas Sarkozy in 2006.]]
He served in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 1963 to 2002, including postings at the Permanent Representation of the Netherlands to the European Community from 1964 to 1970, the Netherlands embassy in Buenos Aires to 1973, and at the embassy in former East-Berlin in the DDR. In the period 1976-1982 he worked in the Netherlands for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague, after which he was Deputy Permanent Representative of the Netherlands to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Brussels.
From 1986 to 1989, Bot was Ambassador of the Netherlands to Turkey. He served as Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague until 1992, when he was appointed as Permanent Representative of the Netherlands to the European Union in Brussels. He held that post for an unusually long period of 10 years.
On 3 December 2003, Bot succeeded former NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the second Balkenende cabinet. Bot is a member of the Christen Democratisch Appèl (CDA) party. In February 2007 he was succeeded as foreign minister by Maxime Verhagen in the fourth Balkenende cabinet. Currently, Bot is a partner of the Praaning Meines Consultancy Group and holds various public posts including President of the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy[https://archive.today/20140606085747/http://www.nimd.org/profile/446 nimd.org], Profile Ben Bot and Chairman of the Board of the Clingendael Institute in The Hague.
Political positions
Bot voiced concern over the 2006 Lebanon War. Bot has expressed "understanding for Israel's reaction" but said "it would be hard to support Israel in case there will be many civilian casualties".{{cite news|title=Bot: Israël moet burgers ontzien |url=http://www.nos.nl/nos/artikelen/2006/07/art000001C6A8ADC0404F1F.html |date=16 July 2006 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930211753/http://www.nos.nl/nos/artikelen/2006/07/art000001C6A8ADC0404F1F.html |archivedate=September 30, 2007 }}
Bot was interviewed by the NRC Handelsblad newspaper in December 2007, where he reiterated his 2005 position that the 2003 invasion of Iraq was a mistake, and that he had to "redress" his comment in 2005 after heavy pressure from prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende. In response, Balkenende said that he would have asked Bot to step down if he did not revise his position at the time.
Other activities
- European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Ex-Officio Alternate Member of the Board of Governors (2003-2007)[https://www.200.com/downloads/research/annual/ar05a.pdf 2005 Annual Report]{{Dead link|date=October 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
Decorations
| class="wikitable" style="width:60%;" | ||||
| style="background:#ccf; text-align:center;"
| colspan=5 |Honours | ||||
| style="width:80px;"| Ribbon bar | Honour | Country | Date | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80px
| Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau | Netherlands | 10 December 1985 | ||||
| 80px
| Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion | Netherlands | 30 April 1993 | ||||
| 80px
| Silver Medal of Honor of the Order of the Three Stars | Latvia | 2008 | | ||||
| 80px
| Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit | Poland | 29 June 2012 |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
;Official
- {{in lang|nl}} [https://www.parlement.com/id/vg09llzsaexi/b_r_ben_bot Dr. B.R. (Ben) Bot] Parlement & Politiek
{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=Jaap de Hoop Scheffer}}
{{s-ttl|title=Minister of Foreign Affairs|years=2003–2007}}
{{s-aft|after=Maxime Verhagen}}
{{s-civ}}
{{s-bef|before=Eduard Jacobs}}
{{s-ttl|title=Secretary-General of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs|years=1988–1991}}
{{s-aft|after=Dirk van den Berg}}
{{s-npo}}
{{s-bef|before=Jos van Kemenade}}
{{s-ttl|title=Chairman of the
Institute for Multiparty Democracy|years=2007–2018}}
{{s-aft|after=Eimert van Middelkoop}}
{{s-bef|before=Hans van den Broek|rows=3}}
{{s-ttl|title=Chairman of the
Netherlands Institute of International
Relations Clingendael|years=2007–2015}}
{{s-aft|after=Paul van der Heijden}}
{{s-ttl|title=Chairman of the
Netherlands Carnegie Foundation|years=2007–present}}
{{s-inc}}
{{s-ttl|title=Chairman of
Radio Netherlands Worldwide|years=2008–2016}}
{{s-aft|after=Theo Huibers}}
{{s-end}}
{{Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands}}
{{Third Balkenende cabinet}}
{{Second Balkenende cabinet}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bot, Ben}}
Category:Ambassadors of the Netherlands to Turkey
Category:Ambassadors of the Netherlands to East Germany
Category:Christian Democratic Appeal politicians
Category:Commanders of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland
Category:Dutch expatriates in the United States
Category:Dutch expatriates in Belgium
Category:Dutch expatriates in Argentina
Category:Dutch expatriates in Germany
Category:Dutch expatriates in Turkey
Category:Dutch nonprofit directors
Category:Dutch nonprofit executives
Category:Dutch Roman Catholics
Category:Indonesian people of Dutch descent
Category:Dutch prisoners of war in World War II
Category:Harvard Law School alumni
Category:The Hague Academy of International Law people
Category:Leiden University alumni
Category:Ministers of foreign affairs of the Netherlands
Category:People from Batavia, Dutch East Indies
Category:Politicians from The Hague
Category:Permanent representatives of the Netherlands to the European Union
Category:Permanent representatives of the Netherlands to NATO
Category:Officers of the Order of Orange-Nassau
Category:World War II civilian prisoners held by Japan
Category:Dutch people imprisoned in Japan
Category:20th-century Dutch civil servants
Category:20th-century Dutch diplomats
Category:20th-century Dutch politicians
Category:21st-century Dutch civil servants
Category:21st-century Dutch diplomats