Cablegate: Finland Response to Updated Briefing On Kosovo

VZCZCXYZ0005
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHHE #0847 2351501
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 231501Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY HELSINKI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2349
INFO RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE
RUEHPS/USOFFICE PRISTINA 0018

C O N F I D E N T I A L HELSINKI 000847

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/23/2016
TAGS: PREL UN UNMIK PGOV YI EU FI
SUBJECT: FINLAND RESPONSE TO UPDATED BRIEFING ON KOSOVO
STATUS NEGOTIATIONS

REF: STATE 135734

Classified By: POLCHIEF GREGORY THOME FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D)

1. (U) PolChief delivered subject demarche to Finnish MFA
Balkans Director Juha Ottman Aug. 23. Because of former
Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari's status as special
envoy, the Finns tend to be very well briefed on Kosovo
developments; nonetheless Ottman welcomed the US initiative
to
share our perspectives on the current status of
negotiations.

2. (C) Ottman offered the following points:

-- Finland, as EU President, "shares entirely" the US
views that anything but independence for Kosovo (with
significant EU and NATO participation) is unrealistic and
ultimately not sustainable; that delaying a final status
decision beyond January or at the very latest February 2007
carries risks; that partition is unacceptable; and that
both sides need to do more to find realistic solutions and
to compromise.

-- Finland agrees that EU and NATO perspectives for Serbia
are important. However, the GOF shares Ahtisaari's strong
conviction that "no talk of compensation" to Belgrade for
the "loss" of Kosovo is acceptable. Current Serb
leadership -- including Kostunica -- even appears
uninterested in the EU perspective, Ottman said, and the
international community should not be drawn into the
"Serbian game" of talking about compensation.

-- The GOF understands that Ahtisaari intends to present
his recommendations for compromises on issues that still
separate Serb and Kosovar negotiators to the Contact Group
(CG) for comment on Aug. 31, and would then meet again with
the CG Sept. 11. Ottman was unclear how long Ahtisaari
would then wait to present the recommendations to the
parties -- although he noted wryly that mid-September is
likely, especially given that "once the Russians have the
recommendations, the Serbs will have them very shortly
thereafter."
WARE

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