VZCZCXRO2275
PP RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLZ
DE RUEHHE #0859 2400457
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 280457Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY HELSINKI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2373
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS HELSINKI 000859 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: ETRD ECON EAID EUN PREL FI
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR WARE'S MEETING WITH FINLAND'S MINISTER 
FOR FOREIGN TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT PAULA LEHTOMAKI 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  On August 24, Ambassador Ware met with 
Finnish Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Paula 
Lehtomaki.  Lehtomaki described her August 14-16 trip to 
Lebanon and Israel, noting that she was particularly 
surprised by how quickly refugee centers emptied following 
the announcement of the ceasefire.  Ambassador stressed US 
commitment to delivering on the core Doha market access 
mandate and getting past the current deadlock.  Lehtomaki 
agreed and expressed concern that with no Doha result, there 
could be a "wave of protectionism."  She encouraged the U.S. 
to continue reaching out to the "most protectionist among 
us."  Ambassador Ware and Lehtomaki also touched briefly on 
Finland's aging labor market.  End Summary. 
 
--------------------------- 
Lehtomaki's Trip to Lebanon 
--------------------------- 
¶2. (SBU) Acting on behalf of Finland's EU presidency, 
Lehtomaki joined EU Commissioner for Development Louis 
Michel on his trip to Lebanon to see firsthand if the 
distribution of EU assistance could be made more efficient. 
Arriving on the first day of the ceasefire, she said she was 
surprised to see the rapid return of refugees to the south 
and noted that practically all refugee centers were empty in 
two days.  The roads were so clogged that she and Michel 
were unable to travel south. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Lehtomaki agreed with the Ambassador that the 
Lebanese government needed to be supported in order to 
counteract the strong social support offered by Hezbollah. 
Finland has offered 1.5 million euros for reconstruction 
and another 600,000 euros in oil spill cleanup equipment. 
Lehtomaki commented that according to Danish experts, 
the oil spill situation was manageable if responded 
to quickly.  Lehtomaki will attend the Lebanon Donor's 
Conference in Stockholm later this month. 
 
¶4. (SBU)  The Ambassador called on Finland, as EU President, 
to speak out firmly against the unhelpful role of Iran and 
Syria.  Lehtomaki said that the current problem is a small 
part of a larger problem and that Palestine is the real 
issue.  "Violence on both sides only strengthens the hate," 
Lehtomaki said.  Lehtomaki expressed concern that the 
humanitarian situation in Gaza not be forgotten as millions 
of euros in reconstruction aid were channeled to Lebanon. 
 
----------------- 
Doha - What Next? 
----------------- 
¶5. (SBU) The Ambassador underscored the need to revive and 
move the Doha market access agenda forward, noting that 
global stability would not come about without market access 
and that multi-lateral trade liberalization had the 
potential to generate significant economic opportunities 
that could lift many people out of poverty.  Lehtomaki said 
Finland was committed to Doha and expressed concern that a 
lack of results could lead to a "wave of protectionism" and 
put the credibility of the whole system in jeopardy. 
Regardless of the outcome, she said, the EU planned to keep 
its promises to its least developed partners.  The 
Ambassador noted that the private sector had an important 
role to play.  Lehtomaki observed that Finland had done a 
lot to strengthen private sector involvement.  Indeed her 
own title - Minister for Foreign Trade and Development - 
was the result of a parliamentary initiative to link trade 
and aid. 
 
------------------------------------ 
Innovation and an Aging Labor Market 
------------------------------------ 
¶6. (SBU) Given Finland's reputation as a supportive 
environment for innovation, Ambassador Ware expressed 
interest in sharing expertise on innovation and on getting 
innovative products to market.  Ambassador briefed Lehtomaki 
on a post-EU exchange program she is developing with 
Minister for Trade and Industry Pekkarinen for Finnish and 
American innovators to share information on developing and 
marketing new and innovative products.  Ambassador and 
Lehtomaki also discussed the challenges of Finland's aging 
labor force and its difficulty and perhaps reluctance in 
attracting immigrant labor.  Lehtomaki said that she had 
taken part in budget discussions August 23 which attempted 
to reconcile Finland's high unemployment rate with its lack 
of available qualified labour in certain regions and 
sectors. 
 
WARE