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RR RUEHAG RUEHROV
DE RUEHHE #0155/01 0981338
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 071338Z APR 08
FM AMEMBASSY HELSINKI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4216
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 4883
RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO 4736
RUEHRK/AMEMBASSY REYKJAVIK 0333

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 06 HELSINKI 000155 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR THE SECRETARY FROM THE AMBASSADOR; P FOR U/S FRIED; EUR 
FOR A/S VOLKER AND DAS GARBER; EUR/NB FOR GILCHRIST; PARIS 
FOR PEKALA; DRL FOR MIDDLETON 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/16/2015 
TAGS: PREL ECON PGOV MARR ETRD FI
SUBJECT: THOUGHTS ON FINLAND AS I DEPART POST 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Marilyn Ware, Reasons 1.5 (b) and (d). 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY AND INTRODUCTION: Upon my departure 
following two years of service as the US Ambassador to 
Finland, I would like to thank you and President Bush for 
having afforded me this tremendous opportunity.  My team 
and I have worked hard to nurture and strengthen the US- 
Finnish bilateral relationship, actively enlisting 
Finnish support for the President's Freedom Agenda and 
for your own Transformational Diplomacy initiatives.  I 
feel we have had great success in building bridges, not 
only on the government-to-government level, but also on 
the people-to-people level through our innovative and 
creative public diplomacy outreach.  My greatest specific 
achievements have come in advancing the shared US-Finnish 
commitment to creating a more secure world and to 
fighting international extremism and terrorism; in 
increasing trade and investment and in finding solid 
common ground on the volatile issues of energy and 
climate change; in tapping into Finns' robust sense 
of internationalism; and in truly enhancing the Finnish 
public's understanding of US policies as well as its 
exposure to all the best that America -- and Americans -- 
have to offer.  I leave Finland deeply honored by the 
experience of representing my country here and humbled by 
what I have learned from this great nation and its 
people.  I offer this valedictory telegram as a means of 
summarizing briefly the progress we've made, but more 
importantly to outline some of the challenges, 
opportunities and hard work that lie ahead for my 
successors.  END SUMMARY. 
 
FINLAND: OUR GREAT NON-ALIGNED ALLY 
----------------------------------- 
¶2. (C) Finland did not become a member of NATO on my 
watch, and it will most likely not become a member 
until at least 2012 when President Halonen has left 
office, if at all.  However, the US has no better 
friend outside the NATO Alliance, and the US-Finnish 
military-to-military relationship is arguably the 
single strongest bond we have in an already strong 
bilateral relationship.  Despite its small size and 
nonaligned stance, the GoF is very proud of the 
fact that NATO -- rightly -- views Finland as a 
"security provider" and a valued partner.  More 
importantly, Finns from across the political 
spectrum and throughout the general public remain 
extremely proud of their troops who are under NATO 
command in Kosovo and Afghanistan.  I have worked very 
hard for the past two years to raise awareness of just 
how important Finland's continued commitment to those two 
operations is -- not just in terms of securing peace and 
security for the Afghan and Kosovar people, but also in 
terms of defeating terrorism and protecting vital 
security interests in Finland, in Europe and in the US. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Our diplomacy on this front has been focused and 
results-oriented, but also creative and "track two."  For 
example, I am very proud of the traditional diplomacy we 
engaged in with senior Finnish officials that resulted in 
their offering their first OMLT for Afghanistan and their 
decision to become the second leading contributor to the 
EU Police Training mission there.  I am also very pleased 
with US efforts across the board to support former Finnish 
President Martti Ahtisaari's role as the UNSG's Special 
Envoy to Kosovo and to encourage Finland to continue its 
leadership role as a "framework nation" in KFOR.  At the 
same time, I am just as proud of the delegation of 
Finnish women leaders I led on a USNATO Tour to Kosovo in 
Spring 2007.  The public diplomacy these women themselves 
have subsequently engaged in on behalf of NATO's KFOR 
Mission has kept Finnish contributions strong, and public 
support for them equally robust. 
 
ENLISTING FINLAND TO BUILD SECURITY 
----------------------------------- 
¶4. (C) Over the short- to medium-term, the US will have 
many opportunities to enlist even greater Finnish support 
for our transformational security priorities.  Our national 
interests and foreign policy agendas overlap in many 
areas, but I believe our most important targets of 
opportunity remain the Balkans, Afghanistan and NATO 
cooperation.  I have advanced these key issues into 
striking range, but it will fall to my successor to push 
the ball over the goal line. 
 
 
HELSINKI 00000155  002 OF 006 
 
 
¶5. (SBU) THE BALKANS:  Kosovo will remain Finland's highest 
foreign policy priority, at least until the security 
situation in the newly independent nation stabilizes and 
development initiatives and foreign investment begin to 
bear fruit.  While some of our allies may be quick to 
declare success and turn their attention to crises 
elsewhere, we can count on Finland to retain its commitment 
to Kosovo over the long haul.  Admittedly, this may hamper 
the GoF's ability to ramp up its military contributions in 
other areas, but Finland's long-standing relationship with 
Kosovo, its deep knowledge of the region, and key figures 
such as Ahtisaari who give Finland so much credibility will 
make that commitment something that continues to serve US 
interests.  Having recognized Kosovo early, Finland will 
serve as a creative and pro-active member of the 
International Steering Group (ISG).  Of equal importance, 
the GoF will use those tools to serve as a cabable and 
honest broker as the EU, NATO and the rest of the 
international community begin the painful process of once 
again seeking to bring Serbia back from the brink and 
toward trans-Atlantic 
institutions. 
 
¶6. (C) AFGHANISTAN: We have made great progress in our 
efforts to convince the GoF to do more in Afghanistan, 
especially in the area of humanitarian/development aid 
and training.  We also have moved Finnish decision-makers 
a bit closer to taking PRT leadership at Mazar-al-Sharif. 
However, looking forward, what we now need is a 
significant increase in Finnish boots on the ground. 
There is little hope of convincing the GoF to send 
warfighters into the troubled regions of the south and 
east, but I do not believe this is Finland's greatest 
area of "value added."  What we need to focus on is 
achieving a significant increase in the number of Finnish 
peacekeepers in the North, where they already have wealth 
of experience and a track record of nation building 
success.  If the Finns take more of the burden in the 
North, this could free up others currently operating 
there who may be better prepared for actual combat.  I 
have focused my efforts over the past two years on 
building political will behind a proposal to increase 
Finland's contributions to NATO/ISAF from 100 to at least 
¶250.  Such an increase will not occur in 2008, mainly 
because Kosovo (where Finland has 450 troops under NATO 
command) quite rightly remains the national peacekeeping 
priority.  However, over the 2009-2011 timeframe, as 
Finland eventually draws down in Kosovo, Bosnia and 
elsewhere, I believe conditions will ripen for the GoF 
to make significant additions to its already-respectable 
100-troop contribution in northern Afghanistan. 
 
¶7. (C) THE NATO RESPONSE FORCE:  We have gotten the GoF 
to the point where we are confident it will be among the 
first non-NATO allies to formally signal its intention to 
participate in the NRF.  However, the road from this much- 
welcomed political statement of intention to actually 
bringing Finnish troops into an NRF rotation will be a 
long one.  Those who follow me will need to build support 
in Parliament and the general public for Finland's NRF 
participation and help policymakers determine where 
Finland can offer the most 'value added' to the NRF. 
Perhaps ironically, some of the staunchest opponents to 
Finland's NRF participation are actually the greatest 
proponents of sending Finnish peacekeepers abroad -- they 
simply argue that Finland should not devote resources to 
having troops merely "at the ready" instead of actually 
on the ground in hotspots like Afghanistan, Chad or 
Kosovo.  I have moved Finland to the point of reaching 
out to the NRF;  it will fall to my successors to turn 
this show of political will into actual contributions. 
 
FREEDOM AGENDA: NEW TARGETS OF OPPORTUNITY 
------------------------------------------ 
¶8. (C) The USG and the GoF share the view that support 
for democracy, civil society and human rights in Russia 
and in Europe's new neighborhood is essential.  Finland 
already complements US Freedom Agenda goals by providing 
support to NGOs and educational and cultural exchanges. 
GoF leaders have hosted high-level meetings with 
Belarusian opposition leaders, with Serb moderates, and 
with pro-democracy forces in Ukraine and the Caucuses. 
More importantly, the GOF recognizes the need 
to speak out on heavy-handed Russian trade practices, and 
senior Finnish officials have even begun mentioning the 
security challenge that resurgent Russia poses.  We also 
 
HELSINKI 00000155  003 OF 006 
 
 
see future possibilities, perhaps even in the Middle East 
or Iraq, although these are not areas of great Finnish 
expertise and they will require steady reassurances and 
guidance from us should they look to do more there. 
 
¶9. (C) RUSSIA AND THE CAUCUSES: The Finns have a unique 
perspective that comes from having managed their 
difficult and at times dangerous neighbor with tremendous 
success since the end of WWII.  That said, the Finnish 
default position will be one in which it actively seeks 
not to provoke the Russian bear.  President Halonen, PM 
Vanhanen and FM Kanerva all offered no criticism of 
Russia's flawed Presidential election in March and 
hastily congratulated Medvedev.  Halonen, in particular, 
can be expected to cultivate an especially close 
relationship with the new Russian boss, just as she did 
with Putin.  Together, they will continue to address -- 
and resolve -- surprisingly parochial issues that 
experience has taught Halonen will not be resolved 
appropriately at the Russian bureaucratic level. 
Generally speaking, senior Finnish officials accept 
the prevailing view that more can be accomplished 
through a close relationship with Russia than through 
confrontation, and we should not expect this to change 
any time soon.  Instead, rather than discourage how the 
Finns manage the Russian Bear, the US should continue 
to try to use the relationship to advance our interests. 
I have not sought to convince senior Finns to stand up 
and shout at or criticize Russia publicly; rather, I 
have quietly tried to build their confidence to speak 
out when it is in their interest to do so.  Part of the 
challenge has been finding the right tenor and tone. 
They showed during the Estonian Bronze Statue Crisis 
that they will speak out against bellicose Russian 
threats or actions, and I am increasingly confident 
that in the future they will do so more in cases when 
not just Finnish but also EU interests are at stake. 
It will be a long process, but undoubtedly the right 
Finnish instincts are there, albeit via a low key 
mechanism. 
 
¶10. (C) My successors will be able to continue nudging 
Finnish leaders in the right direction by expressing 
appreciation for what Finland (and certain prominent 
Finns like Ahtisaari and EU Commissioner Olli Rehn) have 
done in relation to Russia; by encouraging greater 
US-EU and US-Finland coordination in dealing with Russia; 
by encouraging Finns to play an even more active role in 
showing public support for pro-democracy leaders; and by 
urging high-level Finnish visits to countries where they 
can reach out to democratic forces -- with Belarus, 
Ukraine and the Balkans being perhaps the best fits in 
this regard. 
 
¶11. (C) IRAQ: Government officials, opinion leaders and 
public opinion remain critical of the US-led invasion of 
Iraq.  That said, we have recently begun to see the 
subtle emergence of a sense -- especially within the GoF 
-- that despite lingering differences of opinion, the 
entire international community bears responsibility for 
helping Iraqis secure peace and rebuild the country. 
Finland began to act on this positive sentiment in 2005, 
when it provided some limited humanitarian funding to 
Iraqis (via the UN and the EU) and sent 12 police trainers 
to Jordan (under a State Department-funded law enforcement 
training project that ended in 2007).  Since then, the GoF 
has identified no new Iraq initiatives, but I see 
opportunities in the areas of rule of law, reconstruction 
and human rights -- all areas where the GoF could make a 
difference despite its lack of regional expertise. 
 
¶12. (C) The Finns' attitude toward a possible role in Iraq 
took a big step forward when I arranged the visit of 
General (ret) Jack Keane, one of the primary architects 
of the "Surge Strategy."  Keane's presentations had 
enormous impact on decision-makers in the MOD and MFA, 
as well as among the public audiences he addressed. 
I believe Jack's messages helped reinforce to the Finns 
that we all bear responsibility for helping the Iraqi 
people secure their country and move forward;  he also 
showed them the US is not above admitting mistakes, 
adjusting its strategies, and turning to its allies and 
friends for help.  Actual Finnish boots on the ground 
alongside Coalition Forces will remain a political 
non-starter here.  However, I think we have planted some 
small seeds that could, with further tending, lead Finland 
 
HELSINKI 00000155  004 OF 006 
 
 
toward a small but positive role in Iraqi reconstruction. 
 
COMMON GROUND: FINLAND'S CLIMATE AND ENERGY SUCCESS STORY 
--------------------------------------------- ------------ 
¶13. (SBU)  Because of its geography, climate, and 
natural-resource base, Finland has a long-standing 
interest in climate change and energy issues. I have used 
this interest to enlist Finland as a partner in moving 
the US-EU climate change dialogue away from an 
outdated debate on Kyoto to meaningful progress in 
curbing emissions worldwide.  I worked behind the scenes 
during Finland's EU Presidency in the second half of 2006 
to successfully get the Finns to assert themselves with 
the EU Commission to launch the inaugural High Level 
Dialogue (HLD) on Climate Change, Clean Energy and 
Sustainable Development.  Two years later, the U.S. and 
EU are participating in the Major Economies Process and 
in the UN Framework Convention negotiations, but I am 
proud of the fact that the HLD in Helsinki marked the 
first step in our post-Kyoto relationship with the EU and 
succeeded in recasting discussions in a way that 
maximized the synergies between the promotion of energy 
security, sustainable energy supply, innovation and 
reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.  We have 
subsequently built on this progress by facilitating 
research collaboration to develop renewable fuels and 
promoting contacts between venture capitalists and the 
developers of new energy technology.  We also continue to 
encourage Finland to be a useful partner within the EU 
context.  This issue is here to stay, and I encourage my 
successor to continue to devote time and energy to 
nurturing the dialogue. 
 
BUILDING ON AMCHAM AND OTHER BUSINESS SUCCESSES 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
¶14. (SBU) Whether as a ripe market for U.S. products or a 
candidate to provide the kind of foreign direct 
investment that creates American jobs, Finland is a key 
partner for the U.S.  During my tenure, we have seen 
impressive results as more and more American companies 
realize that Finland is one of the world's safest and 
least corrupt countries and provides an ideal gateway to 
Russia.  I have highlighted this fact publicly numerous 
times, including on a successful trade mission across the 
U.S. in 2006, but also in many speeches throughout 
Finland.  We have made measurable progress.  The American 
Chamber of Commerce has doubled its membership since I 
arrived and is held up as a model for new AmCham chapters 
in the region.  We have realized nearly 150 export 
successes during my tenure and have expanded our reach 
beyond Helsinki to establish key contacts in Finnish 
cities such as Oulu, which have proven of interest to 
Silicon Valley venture capitalists.  Income for American 
affiliates operating in Finland broke all records last 
year.  Finland stands at the center of the fastest 
growing region in Europe and my successor will have many 
opportunities to build on this success, but will also 
need to vigorously defend the importance of maintaining a 
Commercial attache in Helsinki as the Department of 
Commerce considers consolidating its operations and 
moving personnel elsewhere. 
 
Building and Sustaining Public Diplomacy Momentum 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
¶15. (U) The Embassy has engaged in truly creative public 
diplomacy initiatives during my time here.  We sought to 
design programs that not only reached the widest range of 
Finnish audiences, but also utilized the diverse areas 
of expertise, backgrounds and interests of our own 
Embassy staff.  We made good use of many of the 
traditional public diplomacy tools, including the IIP 
Speaker program, op-ed placements, television 
appearances, and lectures to students, business persons 
and many Finnish organizations.  At the same time, I 
sought out unique and "less traditional" avenues for 
giving Finns a broader exposure and better understanding 
of America, its policies and its people.  I brought Labor 
Secretary Elaine Chao to Finland; she was the first 
 
SIPDIS 
Cabinet-level visitor in 10 years.  I also arranged a 
meeting between PM Vanhanen and VP Cheney which received 
significant press coverage. 
 
Finland and Pennsylvania: A Historical Link 
------------------------------------------- 
¶16. (U) Examples of our PD success stories are many. 
They began with my effort to draw a key historical link 
 
HELSINKI 00000155  005 OF 006 
 
 
between Finland and my home state of Pennsylvania.  I did 
this by "bringing back" to Finland the story of John 
Morton, a fourth-generation Finnish-American who joined 
Benjamin Franklin as part of the Pennsylvania Delegation 
and as a signer of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. 
Morton, in fact, cast the deciding vote in favor of 
American independence.  I took his story to the far 
corners of Finland, including to the town in the western 
part of the country from which his ancestors began their 
journey to the US.  Everywhere, Finns reacted with 
enthusiasm and pride when they learned of this direct 
link between their nation and a defining moment in US 
history.  And Morton's story linking the US to Finland 
will live on here.  Yet to come are seminars on both sides 
of the Atlantic -- one in Philadelphia and a subsequent 
one in Finland -- that will assemble scholars and 
researchers who will deliver papers and ultimately 
produce a book in both Finnish and English telling 
Morton's story.  I have enlisted enthusiastic, high- 
level Finnish and American support for this project 
that links the history of both our great nations. 
 
¶17. (U) Beyond the John Morton initiative, PD programs 
and grants have supported American studies and the 
discussion of the trans-Atlantic relationship.  We have 
given grants to fund American studies seminars, 
performances by American musicians, and projects with the 
League of Finnish-American Societies such as Welcome to 
America (a guidebook to the US in Finnish) and a fold-out 
brochure in Finnish that gives a timeline of U.S. history 
for high school students.  We provided support for a 
major Pixar exhibition at the Helsinki City Art Museum, 
which garnered considerable press coverage and general 
interest in American innovation and artistic excellence. 
Our officers have gone out to talk to schools, university 
and community organizations about the U.S. presidential 
elections and other aspects of America, such as our 
national parks.  Indeed, as the word gets out that we are 
willing to come talk, the invitations to meet and give a 
speech have been increasing.  My own speeches on 
Afghanistan, Kosovo and other topics have highlighted the 
need for a strong transatlantic relationship for 
addressing certain international problems together. 
 
Public Support for Finland's Role in Afghanistan 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
¶18. (U) We have had other PD successes as well. 
Through the great support of our Speakers Bureau in 
Washington and my own contacts, we have brought to 
Finland a range of Iraq, Afghanistan and Middle East 
experts to discuss the challenges of those regions, US 
policies there, and how Finland and the US could better 
cooperate.  These included strategic thinkers and policy 
masterminds such as General Jack Keane, the architect of 
the successful Iraq "Surge" policy, and Professor John 
Alterman, a Middle East expert from CSIS.  But they have 
also included other important voices, such as the 
American women entrepreneurs of Arzu, who gave up lives 
on Wall Street to help Afghan women start their own 
businesses, market their products at fair value, and 
create opportunities for their families.  We hosted Connie 
Duckworth, a former Goldman Sachs executive and the 
founder of Arzu.  Arzu has dedicated itself to providing 
economic self-reliance, education and health care 
to Afghan women through this sustainable carpet-making 
cottage industry.  Afghan carpets woven by Arzu's weavers 
adorn walls in the offices of President Tarja Halonen and 
First Lady Laura Bush -- a touching symbol of the 
commitment Finns and Americans share in helping Afghan 
women rebuild their country.) 
 
Seven City Outreach Program 
--------------------------- 
¶19. (U) A final, sustainable PD success I would like to 
highlight is an initiative we call our Seven Cities 
Outreach.  Under this program, my team and I selected 
(originally) five key Finnish cities outside the Helsinki 
metro area and paired one willing officer with each.  I 
charged the officers to establish personal relationships 
with mayors, universities, journalists, civic groups, 
cultural leaders, chambers of commerce, local high schools, 
and other "locals" who had a key role in these cities.  I 
joined the officers in traveling to their cities -- to 
introduce myself and the Embassy but also to formally 
introduce them to the officer who would be their Embassy 
point of contact.  Our goal was two-fold:  first, we sought 
 
HELSINKI 00000155  006 OF 006 
 
 
the "outside the capital" perspectives of Finns from 
throughout this great country; and second, we sought 
proactively to create the PD opportunities that would allow 
us to provide a discussion of US policies and offer 
consistent American presence in each city.  Our officers 
have become experts on their cities and know exactly which 
audiences to tap when I or a Washington visitor agrees to 
"go upcountry," and I myself traveled to an additional ten 
cities.  Our results surprised even us:  The program has 
expanded to seven cities; our quarterly visits are welcomed 
and anticipated by the broad base of new contacts we've 
built; and the PD targets of opportunity we've addressed 
with journalists, students and Finns from all walks of 
life span the length and breadth of US foreign policy 
objectives.  Indeed, at least three different Finnish 
Ministers of Government have told me frankly that of all 
the initiatives the Embassy has undertaken over the past 
two years, this is the very best.  My successors will no 
doubt chart their own courses in terms of PD priorities, 
and the range of effective means for engaging the Finnish 
public is limited only by one's own creativity and 
imagination.  But if any initiative has the potential to 
expand and take on even greater life under new 
leadership, it is the Seven City Outreach, and I would 
urge those who follow me to help it grow and blossom in 
new directions. 
HYATT