VZCZCXRO5070
RR RUEHAG RUEHROV
DE RUEHHE #1200/01 3380759
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 040759Z DEC 06
FM AMEMBASSY HELSINKI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2792
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT 0084
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 0631
RUEHJM/AMCONSUL JERUSALEM 0160

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HELSINKI 001200 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/30/2016 
TAGS: PREL PGOV MOPS EUN FI IS
SUBJECT: FINNISH POLDIR ON EU'S NEXT STEPS IN THE MIDDLE 
EAST IN THE WAKE OF A SUCCESSFUL EUROMED MINISTERIAL 
 
 
Classified By: POLCHIEF GREGORY THOME FOR REASONS 1.4 (B, D) 
 
¶1. (C) Summary: The Finnish EU Presidency has emerged 
from the Nov. 27-28 EUROMED Ministerial with a decidedly 
upbeat impression of both the substance and the 
atmospherics surrounding the EU's discussions with 
Israel, the Palestinians and other Middle Eastern 
stakeholders.  MFA Political Director Vierros-Villeneuve 
told us that the ceasefire in the region and positive 
statements from both Hamas officials and Israeli PM 
Olmert on the eve of EUROMED helped the Finns keep 
discussions from degenerating into shouting matches and 
achieve a meaningful set of ministerial conclusions.  She 
characterized the "Spanish-French proposals" for the MEPP 
"basically dead."  Regarding a Palestinian national unity 
government (NUG), the EU strongly supports its formation 
and is looking heavily to President Abbas to determine 
whether Hamas's compliance with the international 
community's conditions is sufficient.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Emboffs met November 29 with Finnish MFA 
Political Director Pilvi-Sisko Vierros-Villeneuve to get 
a read-out on the European and Mediterranean Foreign 
Ministers' Barcelona Process (EUROMED) meetings and on 
the EU's discussions of the Middle East Peace Process 
(MEPP) with Israel, the Palestinians and other regional 
stakeholders. 
 
Finns Upbeat on Atmospherics and Substance 
------------------------------------------ 
¶3. (C) Vierros Villeneuve was clearly pleased with the 
results of the EU's bilateral meetings with the Israelis 
and the Palestinians, as well as the EUROMED Ministers' 
plenary dinner which focused specifically on the MEPP. 
Past EUROMED plenaries have tended to degenerate into 
"shouting matches," and Vierros Villeneuve said this was 
something the Israelis and the Finns both sought 
strenuously to avoid.  Israeli FM Tzipi Livni met 
beforehand with Finnish FM Erkki Tuomioja to remind him 
that this was her first EUROMED meeting and that the 
conversation could not turn into an "attack" by the Arab 
group on Israel.  The Finnish Presidency worked hard with 
both sides to stick to a productive agenda, Vierros- 
Villeneuve said, and their effort was greatly assisted by 
the surprise announcement of a ceasefire in the region as 
well as by positive public statements from Israeli PM 
Olmert and Hamas officials on the eve of EUROMED. 
Vierros-Villeneuve also credited the Arab delegations' 
seriousness and FM Livni who, she said, has developed 
great credibility among European -- and even Arab -- 
leaders. 
 
¶4. (C) These positive atmospherics produced substantive 
results.  In addition to re-confirming commitments to the 
most recent ceasefire, all sides agreed to a set of 
EUROMED ministerial conclusions -- something that has 
only occurred once previously.  None of the conclusions 
was earth-shattering, Vierros-Villeneuve opined, but they 
focused on a way forward, and the ministers negotiated 
them seriously and even with a hint of optimism.  As 
expected, the Arab states consistently sought to water 
down many of stronger conclusions that some European 
ministers and Israel pressed for, but they were largely 
forthcoming and expressed a willingness to compromise. 
 
"Spanish-French" Proposals Fizzle 
--------------------------------- 
¶5. (C) With all sides re-committing themselves to the 
Quartet Principles and the Road Map, the rather nebulous 
new "Spanish-French" proposals for the MEPP gained little 
traction during EUROMED.  Vierros-Villeneuve said that 
High Rep Javier Solana was unenthusiastic about them, and 
that many member states remained preoccupied by the facts 
that the proposals have been poorly vetted and appeared 
to "offer no new ideas."  Indeed, she added, it appeared 
that there was less than full agreement between the 
Spanish and the French regarding their own proposals, and 
that no documents have actually been formally circulated 
to the MS.  Vierros-Villeneuve acknowledged that a new 
set of Europe-generated proposals might be useful if it 
served to re-emphasize the continuing need for close EU 
participation in the MEPP and to reconfirm a commitment 
to the Quartet Principles.  However, she noted, the 
"Spanish-French" proposal as it stands appears "basically 
dead." 
 
Palestinian National Unity Government 
------------------------------------- 
¶6. (C) Looking from EUROMED toward the future, 
 
HELSINKI 00001200  002 OF 002 
 
 
Vierros-Villeneuve 
reiterated that the formation of a Palestinian NUG remains a 
key 
priority for the EU.  Europe, the US and Israel "need a 
counterpart on the Palestinian side with whom we can engage." 
 The 
EU remains fully committed to the three conditions the 
international community has set for Hamas to participate in a 
NUG. 
However, alluding to what may be a possible divergence 
between US 
and EU views on this matter, she said that the EU will look 
primarily to President Mahmoud Abbas to determine when and if 
Hamas has fulfilled those conditions sufficiently.  We should 
be 
willing to work with a NUG if one emerges that is acceptable 
to 
Abbas, Vierros-Villeneuve said, "because he knows the 
international community's conditions and has even more 
conditions 
of his own." 
WARE