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R 271321Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY HELSINKI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3196
INFO RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
RUEHBW/AMEMBASSY BELGRADE 0029
RUEHVJZ/AMEMBASSY SARAJEVO 0004
RUEHSQ/AMEMBASSY SKOPJE 0065
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RUEHVB/AMEMBASSY ZAGREB 0080
RUEHPS/USOFFICE PRISTINA 0029

C O N F I D E N T I A L HELSINKI 000232 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/27/2017 
TAGS: PREL PGOV UNMIK UN YI EU FI
SUBJECT: DEMARCHE TO SUPPORT UN KOSOVO PROPOSALS -- FINNISH 
RESPONSE 
 
REF: STATE 37835 
 
Classified By: PolChief Gregory Thome, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Finland increasingly expects Russia to 
block any UNSC action to implement UN Special Envoy 
Ahtisaari's final status recommendations for Kosovo. 
The Finns are also dismayed by eleventh hour 
hesitation from some EU member states -- especially 
Italy, a Contact Group member.  No EU country is more 
committed to supporting Ahtisaari's recommendations 
than is Finland, and the GOF hopes the US will use its 
leverage to bring Italy back to the fold within the 
Contact Group.  Russia, however, will be a tougher 
sell.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU) PolChief delivered subject demarche to 
Balkans Office Director Juha Ottman March 27.  Ottman 
said that the GOF fully supports all our points; 
remains fully committed to supporting UN Special Rep 
Martti Ahtisaari; and understands that EU-US unity is 
the only hope for winning support for a UNSCR to 
implement Ahtisaari's proposals. 
 
PESSIMISTIC ABOUT A UNSCR 
------------------------- 
¶3. (C) That said, Ottman expressed pessimism about 
Russia's intentions at the UNSC.  Without a full 
Serbian endorsement, the GOF now believes that the GOR 
will block a UNSCR, either by "promoting" a lack of 
consensus among UNSC members which prevents a 
resolution from even coming forward, or simply by 
vetoing it.  Russian officials have suggested that 
China might be leaning toward following Russia's lead 
in opposition to Ahtisaari's recommendations. 
However, Ottman disputed this;  China and the non- 
permanent UNSC members would follow the lead of the 
US, the EU and Russia, if all were united.  But 
without such unity, others might waver. 
 
ITALY SENDS CONFLICTING SIGNALS 
------------------------------- 
¶4. (C) Equally worrying to Finland is the flagging 
resolve of certain EU member states.  Italy, in 
particular, is sending conflicting signals, Ottman 
said.  On the one hand, Rome says within the Contact 
Group that it is fully on board behind Ahtisaari's 
final status recommendations;  on the other, Italy has 
indicated to Russia and to others that it might be 
interested in "re-opening" and reconsidering certain 
of Ahtisaari's key proposals, including 
decentralization and possibly even a UN seat for 
Kosovo.  Italy's hesitation is also weakening resolve 
in Slovakia, Cyprus, Romania and to a lesser extent 
Greece, Ottman added, although Italy remains the most 
worrisome because of its position in the Contact 
Group. 
 
A "PHASED APPROACH" IS DANGEROUS 
-------------------------------- 
¶5. (C) Ottman also rejected any "phased approach" to 
implementing Ahtisaari's recommendations, highlighting 
in particular the dangers this would pose to mounting 
an UNMIK follow-on mission.  Regardless of whether 
UNMIK is replaced by the EU or the UN, lack of final 
status would make it very difficult for many EU member 
states to contribute.  Especially in the case of an EU 
mission, the "phased approach" would "chain the EU to 
an indefinite mission with no mandate for a way 
forward, under potentially very hostile conditions," 
Ottman noted. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
¶6. (C) For obvious reasons, no EU country is more 
committed than Finland to supporting the hard work and 
final proposals of Ahtisaari, Finland's former 
president.  And while a problematic Russian response 
to Ahtisaari's recommendations does not come as a 
shock, the Finns are deeply troubled by emerging 
fissures within the EU.  During the Finnish EU 
Presidency, the GOF was well placed to press hesitant 
member states like Italy to maintain a unified 
response.  However, no longer in that position, 
 
Finland hopes that the US will use its leverage within 
the Contact Group to bring Italy back to the fold.  As 
our contact phrased it, there is no getting a UNSCR 
without a unified approach from the EU, the US and 
Russia;  but there is no getting Russia on board 
without a unified US-EU approach.  End Comment. 
WARE