FINNS URGE IRAN TO STOP ENRICHMENT PROGRAM

C O N F I D E N T I A L HELSINKI 000871

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/30/2016
TAGS: KNNP PREL PARM IR FI PGOV IS
SUBJECT: FINNS URGE IRAN TO STOP ENRICHMENT PROGRAM

Classified By: PolChief Gregory Thome, Reasons 1.4 (b and d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: In Helsinki August 29, Finnish FM Tuomioja
urged Iran to cease its uranium enrichment program
immediately and to announce its acceptance of negotiations
with the EU3 3 now. Tuomioja also told the Iranian Deputy FM
that Iran must begin playing a constructive role in the
Middle East by urging the release of Israeli soldiers and by
discouraging "anyone who might launch rockets into Israel."
Responding with a wholly predictable stream of propaganda,
Iran's Deputy FM "largely avoided a discussion of what Iran
has failed to do" in response to its international
commitments and the EU3 3's package of incentives. END
SUMMARY.


2. (C) On August 29, the GOF announced that Foreign Minister
Erkki Tuomioja would host Iranian Deputy FM Saeed Jalili for
talks that same afternoon in Helsinki regarding Iran's
nuclear program. According to the MFA, the Finns agreed, at
Iran's request, to the hastily organized meeting in hopes of
garnering some useful information in advance of both the
Sept. 1-2 GYMNICH meeting and High Rep Javier Solana's Aug.
30 telephone call to Iranian nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani.
There was no press conference following the meeting,
although Tuomioja made a statement to the Finnnish press by
telephone (forwarded septel). Finnish MFA Office Director
for the Middle East Eija Rotinen gave PolChief the following
readout on Aug. 30.


3. (C) Jalili opened the meeting with a long, "quite
improvised" lecture that bordered on the ridiculous, Rotinen
said. Among other things, he argued that Iran is the only
true democracy in the region; that it has taken a lead role
in promoting democracy and stability; and that Israel is a
dictatorship and human rights violator. Jalili strenuosly
defended Iran's right to a peaceful nuclear program,
highlighting his government's respect for the NPT and close
cooperation with the IAEA. Finally, he came around to the
alleged point of the meeting by reminding Tuomioja that Iran
had taken the EU3 3 package of incentives very seriously, had
formed several governmental committees to study it, and had
given the international community its response on Aug. 22.
(According to Rotinen, the only redeeming aspect of Jalili's
soliloquy was that it included "none of the nonsense
questioning Israel's right to exist.")


4. (C) Tuomioja responded by stating frankly that the only
way for Iran to prove to the international community that it
is serious about peace, stability and the EU3 3's very
reasonable offer is to end its uranium enrichment program
now. "If you're serious," Rotinen quoted Tuomioja as having
said, "please announce soon -- Larijani's Aug. 30 phone
conversation is not too soon -- that you will suspend
enrichment" and come to the negotiating table. You lose
nothing by stopping the program, he continued, and if Iran
keeps enriching, the EU3 3 offer and any hopes for
negotiation are destined to fail. Rotinen reported that
Tuomioja repeated this point three separate times during the
conversation and received no noteworthy response.


5. (C) Rotinen added that Tuomioja also told Iran that it
must play a positive role in helping ensure peace in the
Middle East. While Tuomioja did not mention any
organizations specifically by name, she said, he called on
Iran to use its influence to press for the freeing of Israeli
prisoners and to discourage "anyone who might launch rockets
into Israel" or otherwise engage in terrorist attacks.
Again, the Iranian offered "nothing dramatic" in response.


6. (C) COMMENT: Rotinen said that Tuomioja was left a bit
uncertain as to why Jalili had pressed so hard over the
weekend for a meeting. If the visit was intended to try to
influence the EU Presidency in advance of the GYMNICH, it
clearly was ineffective, instead providing the Finns the
opportunity to deliver a reasonably strong message. Tuomioja
followed up the night of Aug. 29 with a telephone briefing to
Solana on the meeting, and the Finns have issued a report
along the lines of this read-out to other EU member states.
End Comment.

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