VZCZCXRO0473
RR RUEHAG RUEHROV
DE RUEHHE #1217 3421517
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
R 081517Z DEC 06
FM AMEMBASSY HELSINKI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2811
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT 0089
RUEHDM/AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS 0057
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 0636

S E C R E T HELSINKI 001217 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/08/2016 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER KDEM MOPS FI
SUBJECT: PRESERVING THE DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED GOVERNMENT 
OF LEBANON - FINNISH RESPONSE 
 
REF: SECSTATE 193090 
 
Classified By: AMBASSADOR WARE FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) 
 
¶1. (S) PolChief delivered subject demarche to Middle East 
Officer Eija Rotinen Dec. 8.  Rotinen thanked us for 
sharing further information about SARG efforts to 
destabilize the Lebanese government and expressed great 
concern about what may happen next in Lebanon in light of 
the recent murders and the Hizballah/Syria-sponsored 
demonstrations that are occurring now.  She called the 
Gemayel murder "shocking and horrifying," adding that 
"things are going exactly the wrong way, and if Syria is 
behind it nothing good will come of this." 
 
¶2. (S) Rotinen reiterated the efforts that the Finnish EU 
Presidency has made to press for a common demarche to Syria 
highlighting the Union's concerns (reftel), which she 
described as "quite in line" with ours.  The French 
continue to reject a joint EU demarche, citing the need to 
isolate Syria diplomatically.  Nevertheless, Rotinen 
continued, the US and all EU member state governments agree 
on the message that needs to be made clear to Syria, even 
if they don't agree on how to deliver it.  She said that 
Spain, Finland, Germany and other EU member states continue 
to hold talks at various levels with Syrian officials, 
impressing upon them that the SARG's destabilizing actions 
in Lebanon are unacceptable and that the international 
community will not accept Syria's playing the "spoiler" of 
the fragile peace process in Lebanon. 
WARE