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RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHHE #0052/01 0371301
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 061301Z FEB 08
FM AMEMBASSY HELSINKI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4052
INFO RUEHCP/AMEMBASSY COPENHAGEN 4118
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 0070
RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO 4733
RUEHRK/AMEMBASSY REYKJAVIK 0331
RUEHRA/AMEMBASSY RIGA 0868
RUEHSM/AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM 8656
RUEHTL/AMEMBASSY TALLINN 4190
RUEHVL/AMEMBASSY VILNIUS 3187
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 0124
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 0952
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS

C O N F I D E N T I A L HELSINKI 000052 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/06/2018 
TAGS: PREL PGOV MOPS MARR OVIP FI
SUBJECT: SCENESETTER FOR KANERVA-RICE MEETING FEBRUARY 2008 
 
REF: A. HYATT-TURNER TELCON 31 JAN 08 
     ¶B. HELSINKI 715 
 
Classified By: POLCHIEF GREG THOME FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) 
 
¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Foreign Minister Kanerva will seek to use his 
Feb. 11 meeting with S to highlight the GOF,s priorities as 
2008 Chairman in Office (CiO) of the OSCE.  The Finns share 
our views on the key challenges currently facing the OSCE. 
However, they feel a deep historic tie to the organization 
and are loath to see the OSCE further weaken -- or worse -- 
on their watch.  A show of support from the Secretary for the 
OSCE and for Finland,s Chairmanship will pay dividends for 
the USG by emboldening Finland to counter Moscow,s 
destructive efforts and to bolster ODHIR and other useful 
OSCE institutions.  Outside OSCE issues, Kanerva will look to 
update the Secretary on the GoF,s decisions to increase 
humanitarian aid to Afghanistan; to contribute to a &Nordic 
OMLT;8 and to agree with Sweden on a longterm mechanism to 
&rotate8 leadership of &Nordic8 PRT at Mazar-al-Sharrif. 
Bilaterally, it would be helpful if S could urge Finland to 
join the NATO Response Force (NRF). END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Finnish Foreign Minister Ilkka Kanerva is scheduled 
to meet the Secretary on Feb. 11.  While in Washington, we 
understand that the FM is also seeking meetings with SecDef 
Gates, NSA Hadley, House OSCE Committee Chairman Alcee 
Hastings (D-FL), the Center for Strategic and International 
Studies (CSIS) and the Brookings Institute. 
 
Bolstering Finland,s Confidence as OSCE CiO 
------------------------------------------- 
¶3. (SBU) Kanerva,s stated purpose in requesting the meeting 
with the Secretary is to brief her on Finland,s agenda for 
its CY2008 OSCE chairmanship.  We defer to Vienna,s detailed 
reporting on the GoF,s CiO.  Suffice it to say that the GoF 
shares US views on all the major, difficult challenges facing 
the OSCE as an institution, including Kosovo, ODHIR, and the 
need to counter unhelpful Russian initiatives.  Kanerva will 
highlight these areas of US-Finnish agreement, while 
downplaying the OSCE Secretariat,s budget, which is one of 
the few topics on which we have a difference of opinion. 
 
¶4. (C) More important for Kanerva will be an overall show of 
support from the Secretary for both the OSCE as an 
institution and for the Finnish CiO.  The FM is in no way 
nave about the difficulties facing the OSCE or about the 
clear efforts Moscow is making to damage the organization -- 
and ODHIR in particular.  Indeed, Finland is deeply concerned 
about Russia,s unhelpful stance on the broad range of issues 
of importance to the US and to the majority of Western 
European OSCE members.  Finland has a deep emotional and 
historic commitment to the OSCE.  The Finns feel that the 
organization was born &on Finland,s watch8 as a result of 
the Helsinki Accords of 1978.  Now, 40 years later, the GoF 
is loath to see the organization fall apart &on its watch.8 
 In this regard, Kanerva was taken aback by certain 
statements suggesting that &the US needs an exit strategy 
from the OSCE8 (reported Ref A) and will eagerly welcome any 
show of support S is willing to offer for the OSCE.  From the 
perspective of USG interests, the utility of such support is 
NOT/NOT simply to make the Finns feel better about their CiO. 
 Rather, our support will help the GoF feel emboldened and 
confident of strong USG backing when it makes efforts to 
counter Russia,s unhelpful tendencies or to show leadership 
in strengthening ODHIR and the other useful OSCE institutions. 
 
Afghanistan Update 
------------------ 
¶5. (SBU) The meeting also offers the Secretary the 
opportunity to thank Finland for its increased commitments in 
Afghanistan.  After a period of exhaustive internal debate, 
Finland has -- as Kanerva promised when he met the Secretary 
in May -- brokered consensus within the GoF for the following: 
 
 -- An additional 3 billion Euros in humanitarian assistance 
(1 billion in budget year 2007 money and 2 billion for 2008). 
 
 -- A ten-officer OMLT contribution (probably in partnership 
with Norway), which will result in one additional &Nordic 
OMLT.8 
 -- A longer term commitment (probably in either CY 2009 or 
2010) to take leadership of the Mazar-al-Sharif PRT -- a 
commitment that will include an additional 150 to 160 troops. 
 The emerging dialogue between Sweden and Finland will, we 
believe, ensure strong &Nordic Cooperation8 and an 
effective longterm Finnish commitment to the Mazar PRT. 
 
The NATO Response Force 
----------------------- 
¶6. (C) Kanerva and MOD Jyri Hakamies continue to press for 
Finland to join the NRF, but they have not yet obtained 
government consensus or President Halonen,s  OK,.  A word 
from S urging Finland to join Sweden at the Bucharest NATO 
Summit in announcing an intention to join would bolster 
Kanerva,s bargaining position. 
WARE