US embassy cable - 05HELSINKI590

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HELSINKI 000590 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/25/2015 
TAGS: ASEC, PREL, PTER, KCRM, KWMN, FI, EUN, NATO, EU Presidency 
SUBJECT: U/S BROWN'S MEETING WITH FINLAND'S INTERIOR 
MINISTER 
 
 
Classified By: POLOFF DAVID ALLEN SCHLAEFER FOR REASON 1.4 (B) 
and (D) 
 
1.  (C)  Summary:  U.S. Under Secretary of Homeland Security 
Michael Brown and U.S. Ambassador to Finland Earle I.Mack met 
with Finland's Interior Minister, Kari Rajamaki, on April 26 
in Helsinki.  Rajamaki told them that Finland was just 
beginning its preparations for its fall 2006 EU Presidency; 
during the Presidency, Finland would concentrate on external 
and internal security issues in the context of EU 
enlargement.  Rajamaki said that Finland's chief security 
concerns were transnational threats stemming from the 
country's long border with Russia.  He said that Finland was 
particularly interested in playing an active role in the 
creation of an EU Border Control Agency, and that he was 
interested in learning from the U.S. experience of 
consolidating many agencies into the Department of Homeland 
Security.  Under Secretary Brown said that the U.S. remained 
very interested in Finland's dialogue with Russia on security 
issues.  He said that hoped the strong Finnish-U.S. bilateral 
relationship could be used to increase information exchanges 
in homeland security issues as well as strengthen 
trans-Atlantic ties during Finland's EU Presidency. 
Ambassador Mack thanked Rajamaki for his assistance with the 
Embassy's security and for his role in the creation of 
Finland's new national action plan to combat 
trafficking-in-persons.  Finally, Rajamaki expressed interest 
in visiting the U.S. in the fall, and Under Secretary Brown 
and Ambassador Mack agreed that a visit would be useful in 
anticipation of Finland's upcoming EU Presidency.  End 
Summary. 
 
2.  (C)  Under Secretary Brown, in Finland for the 
GOF-hosted plenary session of NATO's Senior Civil Emergency 
Preparedness Committee, called on Interior Minister Rajamaki 
at the latter's invitation. Minister Rajamaki said that 
Finland was already preparing for its upcoming fall 2006 EU 
Presidency.  He said that the primary security issue for the 
EU's future concerned the enlargement question.  Future 
enlargement plans should increase the EU's external security, 
but in a manner that does not diminish homeland security and 
recognizes the unique nature of transnational threats such as 
terrorism, trafficking-in-persons, illegal immigration, and 
health issues.  Rajamaki said that for Finland, the main 
concern was the 1350 kilometer border with Russia.  The 
Interior Minister said that Finnish-Russian cooperation was 
good at all levels, but that Finland was always searching for 
ways to involve Russia in regional and multilateral processes 
aimed at improving border security, such as the Baltic Sea 
State Task Force of which Finland is currently President. 
Rajamaki said that he had visited Moscow in November for 
extensive consultations with Russian counterparts, and that 
Finland planned to host a similar round of EU-Russia 
consultations on security issues during Finland's 2006 EU 
Presidency. 
 
3.  (C)  Rajamaki said that trafficking-in-persons (TIP) had 
become one of Finland's main concerns as regards border 
security issues.  Finland was not the primary route for human 
trafficking into the Schengen Area, but the problem was 
increasing.  The minister opined that Finns had not taken the 
issue as seriously in the past as they should have, but that 
this had changed since the recent release of Finland's new 
national action plan to combat TIP.  Rajamaki referred to a 
recent case involving a busload of Georgian women attempting 
to use Finland as a "Schengen gateway" to facilitate labor 
trafficking or smuggling as an example of the problem Finland 
faces.  He also said that Chinese organized crime syndicates 
had begun to use Finland as a transit point for trafficking 
and smuggling to western Europe, the U.S., and Canada. 
Rajamaki said that Finland was playing a leading role in the 
formulation of the new EU Border Control Agency, and hoped 
that a Finn would be selected to lead the new organization. 
Finally, Rajamaki said that all of these problems highlighted 
the need for increased cooperation among EU countries and the 
U.S., and said that he hoped Finland could work closely with 
the U.S. on Justice and Home Affairs issues during the fall 
2006 Presidency and help strengthen trans-Atlantic relations. 
 
 
4.  (C)  Secretary Brown said that he appreciated Finland's 
willingness to proactively approach these issues of shared 
concern.  He said that he hoped Finland's EU Presidency would 
create opportunities to improve U.S.-EU relations.  He also 
said that he hoped the strong U.S.-Finnish bilateral 
relationship could be used to strengthen information 
exchanges on homeland security issues during the Presidency. 
Brown said that the ability to respond to civilian 
emergencies is always a common talking point irrespective of 
positions on certain other policy issues.  He said that the 
U.S. was very interested in Finland's continued dialogue with 
Russia.  He also said that the U.S. would be pleased to 
assist with information exchanges about border security 
issues;  the new SMART border initiative along America's 
Canadian and Mexican borders might suggest some best 
practices that Finland and the EU could use as the new EU 
Border Control Agency was developed. 
 
5.  (C)  Rajamaki said that he had followed the creation of 
the Homeland Affairs "Super ministry" with great interest. 
He said although the EU could not hope to create such a 
ministry, there was a great need for EU nations and 
institutions involved in homeland affairs to cooperate more 
effectively.  Rajamaki asked Brown if he could share any 
ideas based on his experience at DHS that might prove useful 
to the EU as regards institution-building.  Secretary Brown 
replied that the consolidation of 22 different agencies into 
the DHS was one of the largest "mergers" in American history, 
and that the challenges were tremendous.  He said that it was 
necessary to strictly prioritize goals through risk analysis 
and distribute resources accordingly;  otherwise, resources 
would be spread thinly across competing demands of varying 
importance.  Brown told Rajamaki that communication was 
essential, both within an evolving organization composed of 
previously distinct entities, as well as externally.  Brown 
also said that lessons could often be broadly applied to 
different situations;  for instance, preparation for 
terrorist attacks might find useful applications during 
evacuations following natural disasters. 
 
6.  (C)  Ambassador Mack thanked Rajamaki for his assistance 
with the Embassy's security.  He also thanked Rajamaki for 
his strong support for Finland's new national action plan to 
combat trafficking.  The Ambassador said that the plan's 
focus on victim assistance and victims' rights corresponded 
to U.S. views about the best way to fight this shared 
problem, and told Rajamaki that we looked forward to 
continuing to work with the GoF on this issue in the future. 
The Ambassador also asked Rajamaki about his interest in 
visiting the U.S., which the Minister's office had previously 
indicated was a priority for him.  Rajamaki replied that he 
was indeed interested in an official visit to the U.S. in the 
fall of this year, perhaps in late September.  He said that 
he wished to do this well in advance of Finland's EU 
Presidency in order to consult with American counterparts 
while Finland's agenda was still being formulated. 
Ambassador Mack and Under Secretary Brown agreed that this 
could be a useful visit and promised to do whatever they 
could to assist with the necessary arrangements. 
MACK