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MINISTRY OF THE ENVIRONMENT 

 FINLAND 



August 11, 1992 



United States Senate 



Select Committee on Intelligence 



Washington. DC. 20510-6475 



U.S.A. 



Dear Sirs, 



I wish to refer to your letter dated June 30, 1992 concerning an open 

 hearing on radioactive and other environmental threats in the United States 

 and the Arctic resulting from the past Soviet activities. 



I would like to express my appreciation for the opportunity to testify in 

 the hearing. It is my opinion that international co-operation and open and 

 frank exchange of information are needed to overcome environmental 

 threats resulting from past Soviet activities in the Arctic and elsewhere. 



Indeed, the people of Finland have a serious interest in the topic of the 

 hearing. That is why Finland has promoted international cooperation on 

 environmental protection in the Arctic and in solving environmental 

 problems in former socialist countries in Central and Eastern Europe. On 

 the initiative of the Finnish Government, the eight Arctic countries are 

 implementing a comprehensive strategy, adopted in Rovaniemi, Finland, 

 1991 for the protection of the Arctic environment. At the same time 

 Finland is taking part financially in the environmental actions in the 

 neighbouring regions, mainly in Russia and the Baltic countries. 



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