VZCZCXYZ0010
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHHE #0783 2211214
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 091214Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY HELSINKI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2275
INFO RUCNMEU/EU INTEREST COLLECTIVE
RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO 0091
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 0079
RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO 4631
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 0335

C O N F I D E N T I A L HELSINKI 000783 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/08/2016 
 
TAGS: PREL CE EUN FI
SUBJECT: GOF PESSIMISTIC ON SRI LANKA CEASEFIRE 
 
REF: STATE 128399 
 
Classified By: Political Chief Gregory Thome, Reasons 1.4 (B) and (D) 
 
¶1. (C) Echoing reftel concerns about the escalating violence 
in Sri Lanka, MFA Asia Department Deputy Director Rauli 
Suikkanen, desk officer Marita Meranto, and EU secretariat 
first secretary Niklas Lindqvist told Emboff Helsinki is 
currently coordinating an EU demarche to be delivered this 
week to the GOSL requesting they respect the ceasefire 
agreement.  Suikkanen noted that Sri Lanka had long 
languished on the EU agenda but that recent events had nudged 
the EU to consider a Council declaration along the same lines 
as the August 3 statement by External Relations Commissioner 
Ferraro-Waldner. He said that more action may be warranted 
before the September experts' meeting in Tokyo. 
 
¶2. (C) Suikkanen was particularly concerned by the 
humanitarian situation, by the spread of violence to Colombo 
and by the possibility it could spread to tourist 
destinations. As a precaution Finland issued a travel 
advisory for Sri Lanka last week. The officials reconfirmed 
Finland's intention to withdraw their military monitors by 
the end of the month because the LTTE no longer welcomed the 
participation of EU member states in the mission.  Additional 
Norwegian and Icelandic monitors would be deployed in the 
meantime, bringing the total number of monitors to about 30. 
In the unlikely event that the GOSL and LTTE quickly return 
to the terms of the ceasefire, the other Nordic monitors 
could be redeployed.  Suikkanen had no specifics but said 
that Oslo was soliciting monitors from other countries. He 
noted, however, that the ceasefire agreement would have to be 
renegotiated if new parties joined the monitoring mission. 
 
¶3. (SBU) The MFA officials pointed out that the EU presidency 
is represented in Colombo by Germany.  They welcomed 
cooperation with the U.S. and requested information on 
pertinent USG steps in Sri Lanka. 
WARE