FINNISH RESPONSE - APPROACHING THE EU IN ADVANCE

C O N F I D E N T I A L HELSINKI 000234

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/28/2017
TAGS: EUN KPAL PREL XG IS IR ZI FI
SUBJECT: FINNISH RESPONSE - APPROACHING THE EU IN ADVANCE
OF THE MARCH 30-31 FOREIGN MINISTERS MEETING (GYMNICH)

REF: SECSTATE 37792

Classified By: POLCHIEF GREGORY THOME FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D)


1. (U) PolChief delivered subject demarche to Finnish
CFSP Director and European Correspondent Jarno Syrjala
March 28. Syrjala offered the following comments of
interest regarding the March 30-31 GYMNICH:


2. (C) MISSILE DEFENSE: Although a discussion of US
plans to place missile defense assets in Poland and the
Czech Republic is not on the GYMNICH agenda, German FM
Steinmeier intends to add it under "any other business,"
Syrjala said. Finland and many others do not support
addressing missile defense issues in the GYMNICH
context, and they hope discussions will be brief.
However, the issue could prompt some debate, depending
on how Steinmeier phrases his comments, and Finland
would defer to the Czechs or Poles to respond, Syrjala
opined. The "any other business" agenda will be
crowded, he added, with the Belgians seeking to raise
the situation in Congo and the British and Irish
planning to raise Sudan and Zimbabwe.


3. (C) MIDDLE EAST / NUG: In general terms, Syrjala
said, no one doubts that Hamas is an extremist
organization and must be considered "a dangerous
animal." However, the EU also believes it must find a
way to engage with the NUG on some level; otherwise,
President Abbas "will be left out in the cold." Syrjala
acknowledged that Finnish FM Erkki Tuomioja has been
"among the avant-garde" in pressing for engagement with
the NUG, and that most other EU member states have taken
a markedly more cautious approach. (COMMENT: With the
Social Democrats' defeat in Finland's March 18 election,
this will be Tuomioja's final GYMNICH. There is the
possibility that he will seek to 'go out with a bang' by
offering an overly strong valedictory in favor of robust
EU engagement with the NUG. However, most Finnish
officials espouse a much more guarded position toward
the NUG. Following Tuomioja's departure, we expect
Finland to move toward the EU center as regards the NUG,
rather than continuing to be an "outlier.")


4. (C) WESTERN BALKANS: UN Special Rep Martti Ahtisaari
has made a late decision not to attend the GYMNICH.
According to Syrjala, this is "both good and bad," given
the signs that EU unity behind Ahtisaari's
recommendations to the UNSC may be flagging in some
quarters. The Finns believed that a briefing from
Ahtisaari might serve to shore up unity at this crucial
moment; on the other hand, Ahtisaari's absence might
allow some countries like Italy to speak more openly
about where they really stand vis--vis Ahtisaari's
recommendations.


5. (SBU) EUROPEAN NEIGHBORHOOD: The EU will be unable to
bring Belarus into full ENP partnership any time soon,
but it cannot slam the door either, Syrjala said. The
Belorussians "know what the EU wants" in terms of
democratic reform and an improved human rights record,
and that "there is no flexibility" in these areas. The
EU can be flexible on "small steps," such as human
rights dialogue or cooperation on environmental and
educational programs; it is currently in the
Belorussians' court to show responsiveness in these
areas.
WARE