Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06HELSINKI816
2006-08-16 13:27:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Helsinki
Cable title:
FINLAND: PRESIDENCY UPPING SRI LANKA INVOLVEMENT
how-toVZCZCXRO1891 PP RUEHAG DE RUEHHE #0816 2281327 ZNY CCCCC ZZH P 161327Z AUG 06 FM AMEMBASSY HELSINKI TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2317 INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 0080 RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO PRIORITY 4633 RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 0337 RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L HELSINKI 000816
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/15/2016
TAGS: PREL PHUM CE EUN FI
SUBJECT: FINLAND: PRESIDENCY UPPING SRI LANKA INVOLVEMENT
REF: A. STATE 128399
¶B. OTALLAH CO-CHAIRS READOUT EMAIL
Classified By: Polchief Gregory D. Thome, for reasons 1.4 (B) and (D).
(C) MFA Asia Department Deputy Director Rauli Suikkanen and
desk officer Marita Meranto told Emboff Aug. 16 that the
Finnish EU Presidency is seeking to become more involved in
helping to resolve the conflict in Sri Lanka. Following an EU
meeting on the situation in Brussels among EU COPS
representatives today, Meranto predicted that an EU
Presidency statement would be issued. Finland welcomes the
opportunity to participate in Co-Chair activities in its
Presidency capacity and would like to attend the Co-Chairs
meeting in Brussels in early September. Helsinki also plans
a visit to Sri Lanka--where it is represented by Germany--in
the fall to make the Presidency more visible, and would use
the September 10-11 Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM summit) and the
EU-India summit in October to raise Sri Lanka.
(C) Meranto and Suikkanen remained pessimistic about the
continuation of hostilities in Sri Lanka, and noted that an
EU demarche to the SL Foreign Minister August 15 had produced
scant response. The SL DCM had told Meranto earlier that day
that the GOSL hoped that the peace process could continue and
that the cease fire would not be "null and void;" however, he
added that the GOSL "needs to defend itself." In response to
EU approaches to the GOSL on the need for NGOs to have free
access to internally displaced persons in the north and east
of the country, the Foreign Minister proposed a conference on
the role of NGOs. Suikkanen reported that NGOs had received
limited access to disputed areas to investigate the recent
deaths of aid workers. Finland would like to raise Sri Lanka
in the Human Rights Council when it reconvenes September 18
to obtain a stronger investigative mandate for the HRC
representative in Colombo, thereby signalling to all parties
that human rights could not be violated with impunity.
WARE