Häkämies: USA not yet asking Finland for more forces in Afghanistan

Finnish Defence Minister in Washington

Jyri Häkämies

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Finnish Minister of Defence Jyri Häkämies (Nat. Coalition Party), who met with US Secretary of Defence Robert Gates in Washington on Tuesday, says that the US has not asked Finland to raise the number of its crisis management forces in Afghanistan, or to boost its presence in the country in any other way.
      Häkämies said that the reason for this is that the US strategy in Afghanistan is still being worked on.
      Häkämies noted that this autumn, the Pentagon, NATO, and many other forums are waiting for a report by General Stanley A. McChrystal, the commander of American and international forces in Afghanistan, and that only when the report is received will decisions be made.
     
Häkämies emphasised that possible decisions on additional international forces for Afghanistan will be made at ISAF, the organisation set up for the purpose.
      “This is neither the place nor the forum where additional forces are requested”, said Häkämies, who held a press conference on the steps of the Pentagon.
      Defence Minister Häkämies said that the clear trend is that of increasing the numbers of civilian forces, although no decisions have been made on the Afghanistan strategy in the Pentagon, or in other countries which have sent soldiers to Afghanistan.
     
Häkämies says that he told Gates that Finland is more than interested in training Afghani police, for instance.
      “Training the police and army of Afghanistan are key questions. When Afghanistan has a working police force and army, it opens roads along which foreign forces can get out some day.”
      On the additional forces sent by Finland to monitor the recent elections, Häkämies said that they will remain in place if a second round of voting is needed in the presidential election.
      “However, we are operating within the framework of a time limit, and we will return when it runs out”, Häkämies said.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Stubb on Afghanistan: “We are all on the same football team” (9.9.2009)
  Finnish political leaders prepare for trouble in Afghanistan (31.8.2009)

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