VZCZCXRO1974
RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHHE #0286 1101033
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 201033Z APR 07
FM AMEMBASSY HELSINKI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3274
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS HELSINKI 000286 
 
SIPDIS 
 
C O R R E C T E D COPY(TAGS) 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ETRD KPAL PREL EUN FI
SUBJECT: FINNISH RESPONSE - APPROACHING THE EU IN ADVANCE 
OF THE APRIL 23-24 FOREIGN MINISTERS MEETING (GAERC) 
 
REF: SECSTATE 51262 
 
¶1. (U) PolChief delivered subject demarche to Finnish 
CFSP Director and European Correspondent Jarno Syrjala 
April 20.  Syrjala offered the following comments: 
 
¶2. (SBU) CENTRAL ASIA: Both Finland and the EU are fully 
committed to supporting political and security reform in 
Central Asia, Syrjala said, but the process will be a 
long one.  The FMs will discuss the strategy at the 
GAERC, and hope to have it ready for the Council's final 
approval in May.  On Uzbekistan, the EU will not make 
decisions on the sanctions question until after the May 
sanctions review.  Syrjala suggested that the Uzbeks 
appear to be taking the process seriously and that there 
have been some signs of real progress in a few areas. 
However, he added, there is little inclination in the EU 
-- and none in Finland -- "to let the Uzbeks off easy" 
by rewarding half-measures. 
 
¶3. (SBU) MIDDLE EAST/LEBANON: As the several recent 
meetings between senior Europeans and Palestinian NUG 
ministers would indicated, it is "now a done deal" that 
the EU will reach out to non-Hamas ministers, Syrjala 
said.  However, the EU remains concerned that Hamas has 
made no moves toward moderating its stance and is 
maneuvering within the NUG to undermine Fatah moderates. 
The EU will extend Temporary International Mechanism 
(TIM) funding to support the population and bolster the 
non-Hamas ministries.  Syrjala added that the German 
Presidency will briefly raise the German-led border 
security mission in Lebanon.  The GOF's understanding is 
that the Germans do not wish to see this operation 
turned into a formal ESDP mission -- a strategy Finland 
supports. 
 
¶4. (SBU) SUDAN: Syrjala reported that the EU continues 
to view the sanctions question as a UN issue, not an EU 
issue.  The EU will not block sanctions and generally 
supports the UK's proposals, but several member states 
including Finland have questions about how the sanctions 
will be monitored, implemented and timed. 
HYATT