Finland in no hurry to reassess Afghanistan schedule

Foreign policy leaders to discuss communications failures on Friday the 13th

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Finland’s foreign policy leaders are in no great hurry to update their assessment of how changes in Afghanistan’s international crisis management will be reflected in Finland’s contribution to the international effort.
      New assessments of the situation in Afghanistan, and of possible decisions on sending more military forces there, are expected to come within a few weeks from the United States and NATO, and from a number of European countries. Finland is to assess its role next year.
      Minister of Defence Jyri Häkämies (Nat. Coalition Party) said on Wednesday that no new goals have been set for the assessment of Finland’s role.
      Various sources reveal that there are no plans to discuss the issue of goals at the next meeting of the government’s committee on foreign and security policy.
     
When the committee convenes at a meeting chaired by President Tarja Halonen on Friday the 13th, as it happens, the topic will be the breaks in information about the timing of the homecoming of the additional forces that were sent to Afghanistan for the country’s Presidential elections.
     
Stabilising Afghanistan was the topic of a Finnish-Danish seminar in Espoo on Wednesday.
      Future plans for the country took a step forward on Monday, when the second round of the Presidential elections, which had been scheduled for the 7th of this month, were cancelled, and the current president, Hamid Karzai, was declared the winner. At the same time, new problems emerged.
      “A bad election”, is how Karsten Damsgaard, Denmark’s special representative in Afghanistan and Pakistan, described the situation. He said that success in Afghanistan requires that tougher demands be imposed on Karzai’s new government.
      Denmark is not planning to withdraw its 750 soldiers from the violent south of Afghanistan. Possible new decisions are to be based on assessments by General Stanley McChrystall, who commands the US and NATO forces in Afghanistan.
      Finnish leaders have also acquainted themselves with McChrystal’s assessments, but they have not prepared a stand on how they would reflect on the role of Finland’s 120 soldiers in the north of Afghanistan. During the winter, Finland will discuss the possible increase in civilian aid provided by Finnish forces, possibly from the beginning of 2011.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Finnish soldiers return from Afghanistan (29.10.2009)
  Prime Minister promises clarification of confusion over Afghanistan (23.10.2009)
  NEWS ANALYSIS: Confusion over Afghanistan peacekeeper effort a typically Finnish muddle (31.10.2009)
  Government ponders Afghanistan confusion (28.10.2009)

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