PRESERVING THE DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED GOVERNMENT

S E C R E T HELSINKI 001217 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/08/2016 TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER KDEM MOPS FI SUBJECT: PRESERVING THE DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED GOVERNMENT OF LEBANON - FINNISH RESPONSE REF: SECSTATE 193090 Classified By: AMBASSADOR WARE FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) ¶1. (S) PolChief delivered subject demarche to Middle East Officer Eija Rotinen Dec. 8. Rotinen thanked us for sharing further information about SARG efforts to destabilize the Lebanese government and expressed great concern about what may happen next in Lebanon in light of the recent murders and the Hizballah/Syria-sponsored demonstrations that are occurring now. She called the Gemayel murder "shocking and horrifying," adding that "things are going exactly the wrong way, and if Syria is behind it nothing good will come of this." ¶2. (S) Rotinen reiterated the efforts that the Finnish EU Presidency has made to press for a common demarche to Syria highlighting the Union's concerns (reftel),which she described as "quite in line" with ours. The French continue to reject a joint EU demarche, citing the need to isolate Syria diplomatically. Nevertheless, Rotinen continued, the US and all EU member state governments agree on the message that needs to be made clear to Syria, even if they don't agree on how to deliver it. She said that Spain, Finland, Germany and other EU member states continue to hold talks at various levels with Syrian officials, impressing upon them that the SARG's destabilizing actions in Lebanon are unacceptable and that the international community will not accept Syria's playing the "spoiler" of the fragile peace process in Lebanon. WARE