GOF RESPONSE ON IRAQ CONSTITUTION

UNCLAS HELSINKI 000948

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV IZ FI
SUBJECT: GOF RESPONSE ON IRAQ CONSTITUTION

REF: STATE 158420


1. DCM met September 1 with Finnish MFA Undersecretary for
Political Affairs Markus Lyra to discuss the GOF's public
response to the Iraqi draft constitution and to request a
public statement supporting the democratization process in
Iraq. She noted that the foreign ministers from the five
Nordic countries had made a very positive joint statement in
support of Iraqi democracy in June at the time of the Iraq
conference in Brussels, and that we hoped the GOF would see
presentation the draft constitution as another opportunity to
show support for the Iraqi people.


2. Lyra responded by emphasizing that the GOF remained very
supportive of the process in Iraq. While Iraq is not on the
official agenda for the Sept. 1-2 Gymnich meeting in Wales,
the issue of the Iraqi constitution was sure to be discussed
in that forum, Lyra said, and he expected that the ministers
would make a positive statement along the lines of what we
had suggested. He also acknowledged the statement made by
the UK in its capacity as EU presidency as well and said that
the GOF generally supported it. Lyra stopped short of
committing the foreign minister to issuing a statement but
said that he would raise the issue with him on his return
from Wales.
MACK