VZCZCXYZ0019
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHHE #0871 2421207
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 301207Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY HELSINKI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2393
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE
RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE

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. 
 
WARE