FINLAND: UNLIKELY TO SUPPORT CUBAN CANDIDACY FOR

UNCLAS HELSINKI 000586

SIPDIS

STATE FOR DRL/IL, IO/T AND EUR/NB

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ELAB PHUM PREL FI ILO
SUBJECT: FINLAND: UNLIKELY TO SUPPORT CUBAN CANDIDACY FOR
THE ILO GOVERNING BODY

REF: SECSTATE 94801


1. (U) Laboff delivered reftel demarche to officials at
Finland's Foreign Affairs and Labor Ministries. Tarja
Repponen, Director for International Development Programs in
the MFA's Global Affairs Unit, said that no official decision
had been made about what position Finland would take as
regards Cuba's bid to join the ILO's Governing Body. She
said that consultations among the "European Group" were still
taking place. However, she opined that it seemed very
unlikely Finland would support Cuba's candidacy in any way.
The Director for International Relations at the Labor
Ministry, Sirkka Potila, agreed with Repponen that Finland
would be unlikely to support Cuba.
MACK