Cablegate: Finland Offers to Send Four Short-Term Election

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS HELSINKI 001165

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EB/IFD/OFD, EUR/WE, AND WHA/CAR

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID EFIN HA FI EUN
SUBJECT: FINLAND OFFERS TO SEND FOUR SHORT-TERM ELECTION
OBSERVERS TO HAITI

REF: SECSTATE 155313

1. On August 25 post delivered reftel talking points to
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Department for America and
Asia Haiti desk officer Veikko Soralahti, North America
Unit Counselor Anna Wickstrom-Noejgaard, and to the Unit
for Humanitarian Assistance, urging Finland to use its
voice in EU meetings to facilitate the reprogramming of EU
funds to help meet Haiti's first half FY06 financing gap.
Soralahti reported that Finland was working to unblock USD
87 million in development aid for Haiti, and support the
Haitian Government's push towards democratization and good
governance and the holding of legislative elections.

2. Soralahti, subsequently reported the success of the
collective efforts to unblock the funds and added that
Finland has now offered the EU to send four short term
election observers to Haiti. All four Finns are fluent
French speakers, Soralahti added.

WERDERMAN

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