US embassy cable - 05HELSINKI1066

UNCLAS HELSINKI 001066 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR IO AND EUR/NB 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AORC, PHUM, PREL, EUN, UNGA/C-3 
SUBJECT: FINLAND:  PLANS FOR UPCOMING EU TALKS ON UNCHR 
REFORM 
 
1.  (SBU)  Poloffs on Oct. 3 spoke with MFA Director for 
Human Rights Johanna Suurpaa and other Finnish officials 
about Finland's and the EU's next steps on UNCHR reform. 
Finland will be EU President beginning in July 2006, and the 
GoF hopes that negotiations on UNCHR reform can be concluded 
in time to allow the new Council to meet during its 
Presidency.  Accordingly, Finland plans to take an active 
role both in EU discussions on a common position (beginning 
Oct. 5 in Brussels) as well as the subsequent negotiations in 
New York.  Suurpaa said that she hopes Finland and the U.S. 
can work closely in the coming weeks on the issue. 
 
2.  (SBU)  According to Suurpaa, there is broad agreement 
within the EU on the general nature of the proposed UN 
Council on Human Rights.  In addition, it appears that most 
of these goals track closely with U.S. priorities.  Finland 
supports making UN Human Rights Council membership contingent 
on a two-thirds vote. The GoF agrees that the new Council 
should be a standing body, although the exact frequency of 
scheduled sessions was less important.  A May ministerial 
meeting that provided NGOs an opportunity to interact with 
the Council would be desirable. Augmenting the current 
strength of the CHR and not "sliding back" is also a 
"non-negotiable" point, and Suurpaa emphasized that the EU 
and U.S. must work together to scuttle efforts by certain 
countries to press for a Council that is actually weaker than 
the current CHR.  The GoF would like to see the new Council 
have greater ability to address urgent human rights abuses 
and emerging crises, such as through a direct referral 
mechanism to the Security Council.  Suurpaa repeatedly 
emphasized that the "timetable" issue was very important to 
the GoF and suggested the GoF (and possible the EU?) would be 
willing to leave certain details to future debate in order to 
get the new Council up and running by the fall of 2006. 
 
3.  (SBU)  Finland agrees with the U.S. positions on peer 
review and Third Committee relations, but views these issues 
as less important than those cited above.  Suurpaa said that 
there was no reason to even discuss the Third Committee issue 
at this point.  The one area of partial disagreement with the 
U.S. is over the new Council's size.  The GoF would like to 
see a Council of more than 30 since Finland's membership 
opportunities (as a small country) would be more limited with 
a smaller body.  However, the GoF views the size issue as 
negotiable and, again, of less importance. 
MACK