US embassy cable - 05HELSINKI1113

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 HELSINKI 001113 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PHUM, EAID, SOCI, FI, EU Presidency 
SUBJECT: FINLAND:  MY THOUGHTS AS I DEPART POST 
 
1. (SBU) Summary:  Finland's 2006 second-term EU 
Presidency offers the opportunity to strengthen trans- 
Atlantic ties and advance key U.S. interests.  The U.S. 
and Finland share a broad agenda, including promoting 
democracy, crisis management and peacekeeping, 
trafficking-in-persons, and security cooperation.  The 
creation of an American Chamber of Commerce (with more 
than 50 founding members) will improve prospects for U.S. 
firms operating in the region.  Finland's participation 
in ePINE and interest in Ukraine allows us to coordinate 
anti-corruption and good governance initiatives. 
However, declining student and academic trans-Atlantic 
exchanges are exacerbating negative perceptions of the 
U.S. among younger Finns and threaten long-term U.S. 
interests in the region.  It is imperative that the U.S. 
reverse this trend through expansion of established 
exchange programs and creation of new and innovative 
means to encourage mutual understanding and counter 
negative images of the U.S.  End Summary. 
 
 
------------ 
LOOKING BACK 
------------ 
 
2. (SBU) The past 18 months have been a time of 
extraordinary cooperation with Finland.  From the 
expansion of Finland's contributions in Afghanistan; to 
the unanticipated success of the Aceh Accords; to the 
creation of an American Chamber of Commerce-- we have 
actively and successfully pursued key USG goals. 
Moreover, as we approach Finland's second-term 2006 EU 
Presidency, there are myriad opportunities for enhanced 
partnership in the near future.  It has been a great 
honor and privilege to serve my country as Ambassador to 
Finland.  I am deeply indebted to the excellent team-- 
Finns and Americans-- that constitutes Embassy Helsinki. 
I would like to especially recognize my two DCMs, Rob 
Weisberg and Amy Hyatt, who provided me with outstanding 
support, particularly during this year's heavy rotation 
when approximately three-fourths of our American 
personnel (and most senior officers) turned over within 
45 days.  With the Embassy's exceptional staff and Amy's 
capable and competent leadership, I know I'm leaving U.S. 
interests in Finland in good hands. 
 
 
------------- 
LOOKING AHEAD 
------------- 
 
3. (SBU) Over the short-term, Finland offers us a key 
venue for strengthening the wider trans-Atlantic 
relationship and for advancing U.S. interests not only 
here, but continent-wide.  On January 15, Finland will 
hold a presidential election that will almost certainly 
return Tarja Halonen to office.  Halonen leads the left- 
wing of Finland's largest left-wing party and in the past 
has spoken out occasionally against U.S. policies.  Prime 
Minister Vanhanen shares some of Halonen's concerns, but 
has been less outspoken and is a committed trans- 
Atlanticist.  However, their skepticism toward certain 
U.S. policies has not translated into uncooperativeness, 
and we have the opportunity to build on a firm foundation 
of common interests.  Halonen and the GoF have already 
proven reliable pragmatic partners for most key items in 
our broad, shared agenda (promoting democracy, crisis 
management and peacekeeping, human rights, trafficking-in- 
persons, and strengthening trans-Atlantic dialogue). 
 
4.  (SBU) With a Secretary-level bilateral meeting 
already set for Nov. 1, we should seek to facilitate a 
bilateral head-of-state meeting following Finland's 
presidential election.  A cabinet-level visit to Finland 
in the first half of 2006 would afford the U.S. an 
excellent opportunity to inform GoF preparations for the 
second-term 2006 EU Presidency.  Such high level contacts 
will not only highlight the importance we place on 
cooperating with Finland, but will provide us stronger 
leverage with a partner well poised to help us advance 
our interests within the EU.  They will also allow us to 
weigh in early with the GoF on potential problem areas 
like the China arms embargo. 
 
5.  (SBU) As regards Finland's activities in the EU and 
further afield, the next year also presents useful 
opportunities.  On both the governmental and non- 
governmental level, Finland continues to participate 
actively and effectively in international diplomacy, 
crisis mediation, and peacekeeping.  While Finland's 
efforts in these areas have been solid, we must do more 
to encourage the Finns to assume a leadership role, 
especially with regard to Russia where Finland enjoys a 
special understanding of Russian culture, politics, and 
business relationships.  During my time here, the GoF has 
led in certain instances where it suited domestic 
interests (Baltic reforms, TIP, and Turkish EU 
accession), but generally prefers to play a behind-the- 
scenes role and leave leadership to larger EU countries. 
Finland's upcoming EU Presidency gives us a chance to 
urge greater leadership from the GoF, and doing so almost 
certainly serves our interests.  Shifting public opinion 
on NATO membership will be a long, arduous task, but we 
should reach out to those Finns who view greater 
participation in European security initiatives as a 
stepping stone to NATO membership. 
 
6.  (SBU) Finally, non-governmental Finland's role should 
not be ignored.  Former President Ahtisaari's 
international mediation efforts in Aceh, 
Ethiopia/Eritrea, and elsewhere have met with great 
success (he fell only a few votes short of winning the 
Nobel Peace Prize), and the U.S. should do more to 
encourage them.  Ahtisaari is soon likely to be named UN 
Special Envoy to Kosovo, and other prominent Finns will 
play leadership roles in Darfur and the Balkans.  All 
these offer additional, important opportunities for the 
U.S. to advance its peace and democracy goals.  I also 
note that the Secretary's Tribute of Appreciation to 
Ahtisaari generated enormous goodwill here, and encourage 
the Department to consider greater use of this award in 
similar situations in the future. 
 
 
------------------------------------------ 
Shared Values and Vision/Solid Partnership 
------------------------------------------ 
 
7.  (SBU) The following sections highlight some of our 
more significant recent accomplishments and identify 
promising areas for future cooperation. 
 
a) Intellectual Property Rights:  Responding to our 
pressure (closely coordinated with industry leaders), the 
Parliament of Finland is expected to pass an Amendment to 
the Medicine Act that will prevent the placement of 
patent-infringing products on Finnish mandatory generic 
substitution lists.  This breakthrough, a victory for the 
principal of intellectual property protection, levels the 
playing field for U.S. pharmaceutical companies and is 
likely to lead to long-awaited changes in other European 
countries. Rich, European nations must be held to the 
highest standards of pharmaceutical market access, lest 
the cost of developing new medicines be borne solely by 
the United States. 
 
b) American Chamber of Commerce: I have been particularly 
attentive to the climate for U.S. businesses in Finland. 
One key achievement during my tenure has been the 
creation of an American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham). 
When I arrived in Finland, the country was the last EU 
member without an AmCham.  Now, the AmCham is up and 
running with 50 founding members (at 5000 Euros each), 
two full-time staff, and an aggressive calendar of 
events.  The Amcham will dramatically improve the 
prospects for U.S. companies operating in Finland and the 
EU.  Another key achievement was the regional conference 
on REACH that the Embassy organized in June 2005.  The 
Embassy conceived and organized this conference as a way 
to capitalize on Finland's role as the new seat of the EU 
Chemicals Agency, with the goal of mitigating the 
potential damage caused by this far-reaching piece of 
legislation. 
 
c) ePINE:  ePINE has proved to be an effective policy 
coordinating mechanism.  U.S.-Finnish cooperation during 
the Belarussian and Ukraine elections is one tangible 
result.  There are ample opportunities for additional 
progress in the near future.  The GoF has indicated that 
Ukraine is its top "neighborhood" priority; a group of 20 
potential investors accompanied the Prime Minister in 
October to Kiev, underscoring the importance Finland 
places on Ukrainian growth and stability.  Finland hopes 
to use ePINE to coordinate anti-corruption and good 
governance initiatives in Ukraine with the U.S. and to 
avoid program duplication with the "Northern Dimension" 
and other multilateral processes.  Without timely 
progress on corruption, the GoF is concerned Ukraine 
could "backslide." 
 
d) Trafficking-in-Persons:  There has been a sea change 
in Finland's view of and approach toward trafficking-in- 
persons (TIP).  Over the past 18 months, the GoF has 
formed an inter-agency task force, hosted two 
international conferences, made TIP a separate criminal 
offense, and in September approved a new victim-centered 
national action plan.  We augmented these actions through 
TIP-focused IN and VOLVIS programs, and cooperation with 
local NGOs.  The Embassy also sponsored a series of 
training seminars in Finland by Los Angeles-based police 
captain and TIP expert Nick Senseley.  We are well 
positioned to build on this partnership.  Finland will 
need help implementing its action plan, particularly in 
successful prosecution of traffickers and border 
management.  Professional exchanges, through VOLVIS 
programs or other methods, will prove very effective. 
The GoF also wishes to emphasize combating TIP during its 
EU Presidency, providing additional opportunity to work 
together toward shared goals. 
 
e) Security Cooperation:  We have continued to receive 
remarkable support from Finland for U.S. security 
interests around the world.  The Defense Forces are 
working to increase their troop strength in Afghanistan 
to 100 personnel, and--responding to NATO's call--to 
Shift completely their focus from civil-military 
cooperation in the Kabul area, to support for the 
Provincial Reconstruction Teams.  Likewise, Finland 
doubled its support for Iraqi police training in Jordan, 
to 10 expert trainers.  Finland maintains a contingent of 
550 peacekeepers under NATO command in Kosovo, and 
another 200 under EU command in Bosnia.  We are also glad 
to report that Finland is steadily increasing its 
investment in NATO compatibility, and will allocate 
approximately 1 billion Euros in the next few years to 
building a NATO-compatible defense communications system. 
 
f) Environment:  Viewed from the North (rather than the 
traditional East-West axis), the U.S. and Russia are 
indeed next door neighbors, whose economic security and 
well-being are closely intertwined. In this context, we 
have been engaging the Finns for many years on Arctic 
issues. Finland continues to be an important Arctic 
Council partner in addressing environmental hazards in 
Russia. For example, Finland played a major role in 
facilitating a waste water treatment plant in St. 
Petersburg that will serve a community of more than 
700,000.  While much remains to be done, we have managed 
to eliminate many land-based pollutants. We stand to gain 
much from further cooperation with the Finns in areas 
like bio-energy and nuclear waste storage. The Finns also 
play a strategic role in the development of shipping 
technology and infrastructure to guarantee the safe 
transportation of Russian oil and gas (which comprise the 
largest reserves outside the OPEC countries) through the 
Baltic Sea and Arctic Ocean.  The U.S. Arctic Research 
Commission visited Finland in March with a view toward 
enhanced cooperation on these issues. 
 
 
---------------------- 
THE GREATEST CHALLENGE 
---------------------- 
 
8. (SBU) Most of the superb cooperation between the U.S. 
and Finland remains invisible to the average Finn.  Few 
Finns, for example, know that Finnish generals have twice 
commanded  NATO brigades in the Balkans, and only by our 
initiative was there any press coverage when U.S. Marines 
came to Finland for peace-keeping training.  Meanwhile, 
the international controversy over issues like Iraq and 
global warming fills newspapers here.  This imbalance in 
information leads to an undue focus on areas of 
controversy and disagreement, though few in fact exist, 
and to a declining image of America in Finland. 
 
9.  (SBU) Finland's  rich cultural life, however, offers 
an area of high-interest public attention where we can 
work to remind this country that our relationship extends 
far beyond security or trade issues.  For example, 
Finland has a world-class music education system leading 
to a public culture in which orchestra conductors and 
opera singers are topics of front-page news - not gossip 
- articles.  Its musical festivals, from heavy-metal to 
grand opera and everything in between, draw crowds of 
Finns and tourists in the summer, and every American 
performer who comes here, with Embassy support or 
independently, brings a message of American culture and 
society that reaches well beyond the normal circles in 
which we work in Helsinki.  During three interviews that 
I gave last week to influential media sources, there was 
tremendous interest in American arts and culture.  A 
senior Washington Post editor wrote recently that 
"Helsinki seems to be the 21st Century answer to historic 
Vienna." Our arts and culture can build bridges of 
understanding and goodwill. 
 
10.  (SBU) With that in mind, I have focused much 
attention on bringing fine American artists and 
performers to Finland, and encouraging links among our 
artistic communities.  From young classical musicians 
like the Julliard orchestra, to jazz greats like Wycliffe 
Gordon, to the edgy art of Jeff Koons, this Embassy has 
demonstrated to Finland the vitality of American culture 
and the lively relationship that already exists between 
our two nations' artistic communities.  For example, the 
Julliard orchestra premiered here a portion of a work it 
had commissioned for its centennial from a Finnish 
composer - who is himself a Julliard alumnus of half a 
century ago and is today Finland's most celebrated living 
composer.  Separately, two young Finnish musicians who 
had studied in the U.S. programmed a summer chamber music 
festival including fourteen works by modern American 
composers - an outstanding achievement for a full season, 
let alone a one-week summer festival. 
 
11.  (SBU) If sustained, I am convinced that active 
cultural diplomacy will bring new energy to Finnish- 
American ties that retain a base of strength here. 
However, as elsewhere in Europe we must recognize that 
the post-WWII generation, or the legacy of those who 
remember that period, has already weakened and will soon 
be gone.  As effective as cultural diplomacy can be, and 
as active as our relationship with Finland may be in 
everything from Afghanistan to waste-water treatment 
technology, without direct, personal experience in the 
other country, we face a high risk of cultural, social 
and - ultimately - political estrangement.  However, 
young Finns still love and identify with many aspects of 
American culture.  Twenty years ago, one leading high- 
school exchange organization sent 500 students/year to 
the U.S.; this year it sent 71.  The long-term impact of 
this trend cannot be missed, or underestimated.  The 
perception of trans-Atlantic drift will become a self- 
fulfilling prophecy if the trend toward fewer and fewer 
Finnish (and by extension, European) students visiting 
the U.S. and Americans visiting Finland is not stopped 
and reversed. 
 
12.  (SBU) This may be the greatest challenge we face in 
turning around negative perceptions of the U.S.  I 
believe the State Department must do everything it can -- 
through the Fulbright Program, multilateral exchange 
programs, youth-peer exchanges, IV and VOLVIS programs, 
as well as through creative public-private initiatives at 
home and abroad --  to address the issue.  The old ways 
of thinking about academic exchanges must be changed.  It 
is no longer an ancillary or `value-added' component of 
American diplomacy;  it is a strategic tool. 
 
MACK