VZCZCXYZ0004
PP RUEHWEB
DE RUEHHE #0665 1951353
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 141353Z JUL 06
FM AMEMBASSY HELSINKI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2166
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
UNCLAS HELSINKI 000665
SIPDIS
C O R R E C T E D C O P Y - CAPTION ADDED
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EUN FI PREL UN
SUBJECT: FINNISH VIEWS ON JULY GAERC
REF: A. STATE 114605
B. STATE 115346
1. (U) PolChief and Emboff delivered subject demarche to
Deputy European Correspondent Tanja Jaaskelainen on July
14. Jaaskelainen said the GOF generally supports most of
our points. The ministry response focused on Kosovo,
Israel/Palestine, North Korea and Iraq.
2. (SBU) Kosovo: Jaaskelainen noted that UN Special Envoy
Ahtisaari would brief the Council on July 17 on final
status negotiations. The Finns fully support Ahtisaari's
efforts and hope to see negotiations conclude by the end of
2006 as planned. The Council will begin examining
framework plans for a future ESDP mission in Kosovo
following the conclusion of negotiations. The EU
anticipates a UN lead and continued NATO presence, along
with ESDP programs focusing on police and rule of law
programs.
3. (SBU) Israel-Palestine-Lebanon: In general,
Jaaskelainen agreed with our points and re-emphasized that
the EU and the Finnish Presidency are seized with the
crisis in the Middle East. Solana will travel to the
region July 15 and brief the GAERC on his return, and the
ministers' discussions of next steps will clearly dominate
the GAERC agenda. Finnish FM Tuomioja hopes for a Quartet
meeting as soon as July 18 in Brussels, immediately
following the GAERC, she said. Jaaskelainen also noted
the GOF's disappointment that the UN Security Council
had not passed Qatar's July 13 resolution on Israel's
actions -- a resolution Finland found
"balanced for an Arab country", and a possible avenue for
better cooperation between the West and the Muslim world.
4. (U) Iraq Compact: The GOF welcomes the July 20 Baghdad
meeting as the first of hopefully many opportunities
for discussion of Iraq's political future. Finnish
Ambassador Aapo Polho will attend. However, Iraq has been
removed from the GAERC agenda because of the expected time
necessary to discuss Israel-Palestine-Lebanon.
5. (U) North Korea: Jaaskelainen agreed with our points on
North Korea but noted that it is not on the GAERC agenda.
6. (SBU) Serbia and ICTY: Jaaskelainen noted that Finland
has long agreed with US demands regarding Serbia's
cooperation with ICTY, including the concept that such
cooperation is best proven by "delivering Mladic to the
Hague without delay." Speaking for Finland, she noted that
it is very important for the US to maintain this tough
stance, given the fact that some member states (and
certainly Serbia) would like to see the ICTY
conditionalities softened for both EU perspectives and
eventual NATO/PfP participation. If "mixed messages" were
to emerge from Washington, Jaaskelainen continued, it could
undermine Finland's efforts to hold as tough line and would
certainly offer Serbia an opportunity to begin manipulating
member states' resolve. We assured Jaaskelainen that our
point, as phrased in reftel, represented the US position.
WARE