VZCZCXRO7327
RR RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLZ
DE RUEHHE #0585 1731310
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 221310Z JUN 06
FM AMEMBASSY HELSINKI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2065
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
UNCLAS HELSINKI 000585
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: AORC KDEM NU PGOV PREL FI SUBJECT: FINLAND RESPONSE TO SUPPORT FOR NICARAGUAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS
REF: STATE 96360
(U) In response to subject demarche, MFA Counselor for Latin America Anu Lager- Velthein informed PolChief June 21 that the GOF shares our concerns about democracy in Nicaragua and strongly supports an EU observer mission for the upcoming election. Numbers have not yet been determined, but Lager-Velthein estimated that the GOF would fund as many as 6 to 8 Finnish observers, depending on the EU observer mission's needs. Finland maintains a bilateral Embassy in Managua, and Nicaragua is one of eight priority countries for GOF development assistance. As such, she said, Finland will not provide bilateral support for an OAS observer mission, but will continue its bilateral support to various NGOS, in addition to funding EU observers. WARE