VZCZCXYZ0018
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHHE #1148 3131441
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 091441Z NOV 06
FM AMEMBASSY HELSINKI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2734
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RUEHKV/AMEMBASSY KYIV 0729
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 4710

C O N F I D E N T I A L HELSINKI 001148 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/09/2016 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM ETRD ENRG EUN FI RU UP
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S MEETING WITH PM VANHANEN 
 
 
Classified By: AMBASSADOR WARE FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) 
 
¶1. (C) Ambassador Ware met with Prime Minister Matti 
Vanhanen Nov.8.  Fresh from having recently hosted the 
EU-Ukraine Summit and the EU Heads of State/Government 
informals in Lahti (which included dinner with Russian 
President Putin), Vanhanen provided additional insights 
on Putin's Russia; energy security; and Ukraine's 
European perspectives. 
 
My Dinner with Vladimir -- Vanhanen's Take 
------------------------------------------ 
¶2. (C) Press coverage and diplomatic reporting have 
offered dramatically different versions of how the 
atmospherics at the EU Heads of State/Government dinner 
with Putin unfolded, and Vanhanen was eager to share his 
version of events with the Ambassador.  Vanhanen openly 
acknowledged some Member States' (MS) criticisms of the 
way in which he and Commission President Barroso had 
"managed" the conversation with Putin.  However, the PM 
emphasized, the EU had learned a clear lesson from the 
2002 Heads of State meeting with President Bush in 
Sweden.  At that meeting, all 27 MS took the floor to 
deliver messages to President Bush, creating a situation 
in which the meeting quickly lost focus and  much of its 
usefulness for both sides.  In this case with Putin, 
Vanhanen and Barroso sought to allow a limited number of 
MS to take the floor on some issues, while at the same 
time tightening the format and managing debate, as the 
EU had done during President Bush's trip to Brussels in 
¶2005.  Just as better results were achieved in Brussels, 
Vanhanen said the Lahti meeting went more smoothly. 
 
¶3. (C) That said, the EU still addressed some of the 
tough topics.  German Chancellor Merkel, who sat next to 
Putin at dinner, specifically raised the murder of 
journalist Anna Politkovskaya on behalf of the EU. 
Reports on Merkel's role have varied, but Vanhanen was 
clear that she spoke directly.  Poland was "very 
outspoken" on trade concerns and energy issues. 
Vanhanen and Barroso also took the lead in discussing 
energy security, human rights and the Frozen Conflicts - 
- in particular Georgia. 
 
Energy Security Themes 
---------------------- 
¶4. (C) Looking forward -- including toward the Nov. 24 
EU-Russia Summit and, further on, to the handover to the 
German Presidency -- Finland sees its role as trying to 
build bridges between the EU and Russia, especially on 
energy and trade.  In addition to delivering a 
negotiating mandate to the German Presidency for a new 
EU-Russia Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA), 
Vanhanen told the Ambassador that the Finns (and the 
Germans) hope to "de-politicize the issues" between 
Russia and certain EU member states (i.e., Poland and 
the Balts), particularly on energy.  Finland itself has 
no bilateral energy problems with Moscow, having 
carefully managed its direct energy imports from Russia 
for more than 60 years to avoid dependence.  However, he 
emphasized, the Finns understand that they can help play 
both a leadership and an honest broker role in helping 
the overall EU-Russia energy relationship improve.  That 
said, there is a long way to go, to be sure.  According 
to Vanhanen, Putin's efforts to re-exert tight control 
over Gazprom and the rest of the Russian energy 
apparatus have made him suspicious of foreign companies, 
even though he intellectually understands how badly the 
sector needs foreign investment.  Putin feels or has 
been told that he has made mistakes ceding too much 
influence to outside investors.  Vanhanen said that 
major "private companies can't get any answers" or even 
reach anyone in the government regarding their energy 
investments. 
 
Ukraine 
------- 
¶5. (C) Briefly touching on Ukraine in the wake of the 
Oct. 27 EU-Ukraine Summit, Vanhanen said that EU 
membership was still a long way off.  However, the EU 
must continue to emphasize positively Ukraine's European 
perspectives, and in that regard should quickly work 
toward a bilateral EU-Ukraine free trade arrangement. 
PM Yanukovich's return has weakened President 
Yushchenko, Vanhanen suggested, making it all the more 
important that the EU "keep Ukraine leaning west." 
WARE