VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHHE #0440/01 3281459
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 241459Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY HELSINKI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5292
INFO RUEHCP/AMEMBASSY COPENHAGEN 4157
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 5020
RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO 4756
RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA 0721
RUEHRK/AMEMBASSY REYKJAVIK 0339
RUEHSM/AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM 8682
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS

UNCLAS HELSINKI 000440 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR OES/OA JGOURLEY AND PCUNNINGHAM 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON EWWT FI PHSA PREL SENV
SUBJECT: HELSINKI HOSTS SCPAR WHILE PARLIAMENT PUSHES FOR 
COMPREHENSIVE ARCTIC STRATEGY 
 
REF: HELSINKI 337 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY:  In separate but nearly simultaneous events 
November 18-19 in Helsinki, the Standing Committee of 
Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region (SCPAR) held a workshop 
and meeting and the Finnish Parliament held a plenary session 
to which called for a comprehensive national Arctic Strategy. 
 The SCPAR workshop focused on the UN Convention on the Law 
of the Sea (UNCLOS), delineation of the continental shelf in 
the Arctic, and protection of fishery stocks.  The 
parliamentary plenary produced a strong consensus backing the 
government's development of an Arctic strategy which would 
take account of the need to combat or mitigate climate 
change, the increasing exploitation of energy resources, and 
the possibilities of developing new sea and land 
transportation corridors.  END SUMMARY. 
 
----------------------------------- 
SCPAR DISCUSSES UNCLOS, ENVIRONMENT 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) On November 18-19 the Standing Committee of 
Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region (SCPAR) held a workshop 
and meeting in Helsinki hosted by Finnish MP Hannes Manninen 
(Center).  35 parliamentarians, representatives of indigenous 
peoples, staff members, and invited experts participated. 
Poloff informally represented the U.S. in the absence of 
Senator Murkowski who was unable to attend.  All other 
members of the Arctic Council had parliamentarians present. 
Those of Norway, Denmark, and Sweden were the most active, 
the Russian and Canadian representatives less so. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Manninen, recently returned from a U.S. visit along 
with other members of Parliament's foreign affairs committee, 
opened the meeting with a glowing report on his discussions 
with U.S. Congressmen, State Dept. officials, and others in 
the U.S.  He was especially encouraged by what he heard 
regarding U.S. ratification of the U.N. Convention on the Law 
of the Sea (UNCLOS), a perennial topic for SCPAR.  It seemed 
likely that the U.S. Senate would debate and vote on UNCLOS 
"as soon as January," Manninen revealed.  In his opening 
remarks, Manninen also went out of his way to emphasize the 
primacy of the Arctic Council as "the central forum for 
discussion and cooperation" regarding the Arctic, while 
recognizing that there might be subgroups, such as the 
coastal states, which might have a supporting role. 
 
¶4. (U) During the workshop on UNCLOS, attendees received 
briefings from several technical experts about the 
delineation of the continental shelf, the location and 
composition of energy resources there, and the protection of 
wildlife in the Arctic.  Among the presenters were Harald 
Brekke, a member of the UN Commission on the Limits of the 
Continental Shelf, and Tatiana Saksina, Arctic Governance 
Officer for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).  The latter 
advocated for a regional seas agreement to provide legally 
binding regulation of human activity in the Arctic, something 
which WWF sees as especially necessary to ensure that 
commercial vessels meet minimal standards regarding their 
crew, equipment, and ballast water treatment.  When asked, 
she cited the Mediterranean and Caspian Sea agreements as 
examples of modern and effective regional sea agreements and 
recommended against an additional protocol to UNCLOS to 
regulate the Arctic Ocean as unnecessarily difficult.  Only 
the five coastal states would be needed to reach a regional 
seas agreement while over 160 would be involved in 
negotiating an additional protocol to UNCLOS.  Saksina also 
reported that the WWF would release a proposal to cover gaps 
in fishery management next year.  The WWF sees the fishery 
protocol to UNCLOS as insufficient since it only protects 
straddling or highly migratory stocks and has published a 
study to support this, according to Saksina. 
 
--------------- 
NEW FINNISH SAO 
--------------- 
 
¶5. (U) The SCPAR meeting also provided newly appointed 
Finnish Ambassador at large for Arctic Affairs Hannu Halinen 
a chance to introduce himself.  Halinen, now Finland's Senior 
Arctic Official, remarked that he hoped his prior experience 
working in the Council of Baltic Sea States in Stockholm for 
three years would provide a good background for working with 
 
the Arctic Council.  His most recent posting was as 
Ambassador to Egypt and the Sudan. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
PARLIAMENT CALLS FOR COMPREHENSIVE ARCTIC STRATEGY 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
¶6. (U) Also on November 18, the Finnish Parliament held a 
plenary session on Arctic Policy.  In a strong display of 
cross-party unity, some thirty five MPs spoke on the issue, 
nearly all of which strongly supported FM Stubb's call for a 
comprehensive Arctic strategy for Finland.  He and 
Development Minister Vayrynen have been publicly discussing 
the need for such a strategy over the last few months, and 
such Stubb's line was foreshadowed in an earlier speech made 
at the Arctic Center in Rovaniemi in September.  He has 
consistently called for Finland to focus on Arctic based on 
three imperatives: the need to combat or mitigate climate 
change, the increasing exploitation of energy resources, and 
the possibilities of developing new sea and land 
transportation corridors. 
 
¶7. (U) Foreign Affairs Committee chair Pertti Salolainen 
(NCP) opened the hearing by noting the great interest in 
Washington in Finland's Arctic policy based on the 
committee's recent visit.  He announced that he would be 
sharing the committee's report with the U.S. as soon as it 
was translated.  Salolainen passed the floor to Stubb who 
outlined what Finland's Arctic Strategy would need to do: 
define opportunities, challenges, and goals; set guidelines 
for international cooperation; define the basis for Finland's 
EU policy regarding the Arctic; and create a national 
mechanism for preparation and monitoring policy execution. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Stubb's presentation and the committee's report 
garnered consensus support from among all parties during the 
session, with Left Alliance MPs explicitly endorsing Stubb's 
views.  Green and Left Alliance MPs placed a stronger 
emphasis on protecting the environment but did not disagree 
with the need to pursue economic development opportunities in 
the Arctic.  Some MPs expressed concern that military 
activities might increase in the Arctic as competition for 
resources intensifies.  Observer status for the EU within the 
Arctic Council was discussed with no consensus emerging. 
 
¶9. (SBU) COMMENT: Finnish officials, most notably Stubb in 
his Rovaniemi speech, have publicly called for greater EU 
involvement in the Arctic, pointing towards its considerable 
budget which could fund scientific research as well as 
economic development.  In private (see reftel), some 
officials have expressed concern about the potential 
influence of large non-Arctic EU members on the political 
dynamic of the Arctic Council.  END COMMENT 
 
------------------------------- 
THE WAY AHEAD; WASHINGTON VISIT 
------------------------------- 
 
¶10. (SBU) The way ahead on development of the Arctic Strategy 
will include the preparation of an interagency white paper 
under leadership of the PM's office and the MFA and the 
appointment of a committee for Arctic issues including senior 
GOF officials, academic experts, and representatives of 
indigenous people (Sami).  The white paper could be completed 
in six to eight months. 
 
¶11. (SBU) Post understands that PM Vanhanen's chief of staff 
Risto Volanen and diplomatic advisor Esko Hamilo are seeking 
meetings on Arctic security during a visit to Washington in 
early December.  This will provide an early opportunity to 
influence GOF thinking on its new Arctic strategy. 
ORECK