U.S. SPEAKERS LEO MICHEL (TRACKER 19904)

UNCLAS HELSINKI 001579

SIPDIS

STATE FOR IIP/T/PS; IIP/G/EUR; INFO EUR/PD-
PATTKINSSON

E.O.12958:N/A
TAGS: OIIP KPAO FI
SUBJECT: U.S. SPEAKERS LEO MICHEL (TRACKER 19904)
AND JOHN HULSMAN (TRACKER 19905)

REF: HELSINKI 001209


1. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: Dr. Leo Michel, INSS, and
Dr. John Hulsman, Heritage Foundation, visited
Helsinki for two program days (November 20-21) to
participate in the Atlantic Council of Finland's
(ACF) major conference on the transatlantic
security relationship on Nov. 21. A total of 4
U.S. speakers (in addition to subject speakers,
Jeffrey Gedmin from the Aspen Institute in Berlin
and Michael Mihalka from the Marshall Center)
expounded and defended the USG's approaches to
dealing with international terrorism, new security
threats, and multilateral institutions.


2. DATE; FISCAL YEAR, AND QUARTER: Nov. 20-21,
2003; FY-04, 1st QUARTER


3. JUSTIFICATION AND OBJECTIVE: to address mutual
understanding and transatlantic security


4. MPP THEME: Mutual Understanding; Transatlantic
Relations


5. AUDIENCE: Finland's key decision-makers,
government officials, politicians, historians,
business and cultural leaders, university faculty
and students


6. RESULT/IMPACT:

During their 2-day visit, the speakers also met
with advanced students at the National Defence
College of Finland, gave several tv and print
interviews (commenting on the vital need for a
global response to terrorism and, in the context of
the recent bombings, Turkey's continuing
integration into the West),briefed
parliamentarians and defense officials, and debated
further with key international relations experts at
representational events. While not all Finnish
interlocutors were persuaded that the U.S. is
committed to multilateralism, they were impressed
by the substantive and realistic, rather than
ideological, positions presented by the American
speakers. The ACF conference advanced the
discussion about Finland's evolving security
relationships, including possible NATO membership,
at a time when Finland is exploring new responses
to challenges in its upcoming white paper on
defense.


7. NON-USG SOURCES OF IN COUNTRY FUNDING/SUPPORT
AND AMOUNT: Lecture venues, promotion and
invitations to lectures (jointly with other
organizers).


8. QUALITY OF U.S. SUPPORT: Excellent/PAS-Helsinki
wishes to extend special tanks to IIP/T/PS-Whitney
Crockford, Jody Rose Platt, Jeremy Prout and Brenda
Butler and also IIP/G/EUR Kevin Ellison for their
persistence and perseverance in recruiting speakers
for the seminar which, in the words of Ambassador
McElveen-Hunter, was the best she has attended in
Finland during her two-year stay here.


9. As stated in reftel, Post plans to use I-Bucks
to cover the costs for the IIP-recruited speakers.


MCELVEEN-HUNTER