FINNISH RESPONSE: KOSOVO: DEMARCHE ON NEXT STEPS

C O N F I D E N T I A L HELSINKI 000627 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/14/2017 TAGS: PGOV PREL EUN FI SUBJECT: FINNISH RESPONSE: KOSOVO: DEMARCHE ON NEXT STEPS REF: SECSTATE 109526 Classified By: POLCHIEF GREGORY THOME FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) ¶1. (C) On Aug. 13, Ambassador Ware raised reftel points regarding next steps on Kosovo with Foreign Minister Ilkka Kanerva. Kanerva said that he himself is in frequent contact with President Ahtisaari and that, on the EU level, there is agreement that Ahtisaari's plan "is still the roadmap" to be followed. The GOF supports the efforts of the Contact Group as the process enters a new period of intensive negotiation. However, Kanerva noted, this "new phase cannot be open-ended; it must stick to a timetable." The Finns are not optimistic about the eventual outcome; Kanerva reported that, during a recent conversation, Russian FM Lavrov told him "there will be no independence" for Kosovo under the terms outlined by Ahtisaari. ¶2. (C) While the GOF generally shares the US view that Russia is likely to remain uncooperative following the new period of negotiation, Kanerva would not, at this point, commit his government to any "next steps" beyond a return to the UNSC. WARE