Government parties disagree on participation in crisis management

Greens and Centre have reservations about NRF forces

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Finnish participation in international crisis management divides the present government. Of the government parties, only the National Coalition Party is taking a stand in favour of Finnish participation in the rapid-action NATO Response Force (NRF).
      Two government parties, the Centre Party and the Greens, take a more guarded view, while the Swedish People's Party is not expressing an opinion.
      Green League Chairwoman, Minister of Labour Tarja Cronberg feels that Finland should take part in operations whose purpose is to secure peace.
      She feels that Finland should not take part in missions where the forces face actual combat, and it is those types of operations where the NRF could be deployed.
     
The chairman of the Parliamentary Defence Committee, Juha Korkeaoja (Centre), feels that the times during which Finland would be on call for possible NRF duty would tie down Finnish resources from other crisis management tasks.
      "Would it not be wiser for Finland to use its limited resources for each operation, according to its own consideration, so that it would not be tied to the NRF?" he ponders.
     
Korkeaoja says that his views represent the policy line taken by his party. Centre Party Chairman, Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen, did not answer questions put to him by Helsingin Sanomat on foreign and security policy issues.
      Of the opposition parties, the most positive view toward the NRF is taken by Social Democratic Party chairman, MP Eero Heinäluoma. He is not in any hurry to see Finland taking part in NRF, but feels that it is possible, and says that he is on the same lines on taking part in NRF as Prime Minister Vanhanen and President Tarja Halonen.
      Heinäluoma and Defence Committee Chairman Korkeaoja focus on the same matter.
      "We must remember that as an outside country, Finland is not involved in deciding on which operations the forces would be taking part in, contrary to what is the case in the EU rapid response forces."
     
Finland's possible participation in the United Nations crisis management operation in Darfur divides the government parties to some degree. The Greens' Cronberg would be readier than the other government partners to increase the commitment.
      A greater commitment to Darfur is called for most clearly by the SDP's Heinäluoma and Left Alliance Chairman Matti Korhonen. Nearly all parties would be willing to consider increasing civilian crisis management.
     
All government and opposition parties are willing to support the National Coalition Party's call for more support for Afghanistan.
      There have been calls from two National Coalition Party ministers for more support for Afghanistan: Foreign Minister Ilkka Kanerva and Defence Minister Jyri Häkämies. President Halonen and the government's committee on foreign and security policy will discuss the matter in mid-September.
     
No party leaders are advocating increasing Finnish military personnel in Afghanistan. The government committee's report is likely to call for only slight increases and for opening discussions with Sweden on how the area of responsibility is to be divided for regional crisis management forces.
      Cronberg feels that an increase in civilian personnel in Afghanistan would require that they would be able to operate safely in the country.
      The only party leader calling for a withdrawal from Afghanistan is Timo Soini of the opposition True Finns.
     
The government has not yet decided if the Afghanistan report would come before Parliament as an announcement by the Prime Minister, or as a report, in which case Parliament will get to vote on Finland's participation in the Afghanistan forces.
      The opposition has been calling for a report since the spring.
      The parties tend to feel that Finnish commitments to military crisis management are sufficient. The greatest part of the parties would like to increase the duties of civilian crisis management.
     


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Foreign Minister Kanerva: Finland should not delay decision on NRF forces (17.8.2007)
  Kaskeala: no increase needed in Finnish force in Afghanistan for at least a year (16.8.2007)

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