Finland giving more support to Afghanistan

Finland to get command responsibility in Kosovo crisis management operation

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The Finnish President and the government's ministerial committee on foreign and security policy decided on Friday that Finland would increase its crisis management commitment in Afghanistan and would be willing to take responsibility of command in the NATO-led ISAF operation there.
      At an exceptionally long meeting, the committee decided that Finland would increase its humanitarian aid to Afghanistan this year. The amount of the aid is to be decided later. Other forms of support will require further study and separate decisions.
     
Finland is to hold talks with Sweden on the sharing of command responsibility in an area in the north of Afghanistan. This would mean that up to an additional 50 Finnish soldiers would be deployed to help train the Afghan army and police force.
      The additional input in the European Union's police operation and in other civilian crisis management activities was left open to further study, as well as what kinds of defence materiel Finland could supply to Afghanistan.
      Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen (Centre) says that the committee was unanimous in the view that the materiel should be non-lethal, and that the surplus Kalashnikov assault rifles requested by President Hamid Karzai would not be delivered. However, supplying Afghanistan with military vehicles will be considered.
     
The greatest disagreements at the meeting emerged from the issue of development aid. Vanhanen said that "just about everyone" had doubts about the impact that development aid could have in Afghanistan. However, Helsingin Sanomat has learned that Foreign Minister Ilkka Kanerva (Nat. Coalition Party) wanted to increase aid from the current EUR 10 million by another one million a year, but that the idea failed mainly because it was opposed by Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Paavo Väyrynen (Centre). The committee finally decided to increase only humanitarian aid and to assess the need for development aid.
      Further studies on support for Afghanistan are expected in a month, and decisions are to come in October. Parliament will discuss Finland's involvement in Afghanistan in the autumn, possibly in connection with a report on the EU's rapid response forces, Vanhanen said at a press conference after the meeting of the committee.
     
Finland will take command of a regional battle group in the NATO-led KFOR operation in Kosovo next summer, and will increase the number of its soldiers there by 50 from the present 400.
      Minister of Labour Tarja Cronberg (Green) took up the UN Darfur peacekeeping operation at the meeting. The Greens have called on Finland to participate in the effort with a greater contribution than the few police officers pledged so far. According to Cronberg, participation in Darfur will be examined, and Parliament will get the chance to discuss the matter in connection with a report on EU forces.
      Vanhanen, for his part, said that Finland is not sending forces to Darfur.
      Finland is beginning preparations for an EU operation planned for Chad and the Central African Republic, where EU forces might be sent next year, when it is Finland's turn to be in readiness.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Finnish vehicle damaged in explosion in Afghanistan (12.9.2007)
  Finnish rapid deployment forces could go to Chad under Swedish command (14.8.2007)
  Kaskeala: no increase needed in Finnish force in Afghanistan for at least a year (16.8.2007)
  President says not enough peacekeepers for Darfur operation (15.8.2007)
  Finnish forces in Afghanistan face vicious opponents (21.4.2007)

Helsingin Sanomat