Bush to propose expanded NATO partnership for Finland

George W. Bush

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U.S. President George W. Bush will propose offering five countries - including Finland - an expanded relationship with NATO when the military alliance meets in summit next week in Riga, Latvia, according to comments by U.S. Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns on Tuesday.
      According to the AP news agency, Burns said that Australia, Japan, South Korea, Sweden and Finland would be invited to a more intensive partnership at the Riga meeting. "We seek a global partnership with [these countries] so that we can train more intensively, from a military point of view, and grow closer to them because we are deployed with them", Burns said.
     
The initiative first came to light in April of this year, and in October Sweden and Finland made a joint proposal to NATO on the upgrading and renewal of Partnership for Peace arrangements. The main lines will probably be dealt with in Riga, but final decisions on the matter will have to wait until 2008.
      The Finnish and Swedish aim is to get information earlier and in greater depth on NATO crisis management operations, to be able to take part in planning at an early stage, and also to have greater access to NATO intelligence material.
      Also on Tuesday, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried said no new membership invitations would be issued at the summit in Riga.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Prime Minister Vanhanen welcomes NATO offer of increased cooperation (6.4.2006)
  Finland and Sweden make proposal to NATO on peace partnership (17.10.2006)

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