Häkämies says Washington speech in line with Finnish policy

Katainen defends Defence Minister - urges others to speak plainly

Jyri Häkämies

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Minister of Defence Jyri Häkämies (Nat. Coalition Party) insists that a recent speech he gave in Washington contained nothing that would go against Finland's line on foreign policy. Soon after his arrival back in Finland on Sunday, Häkämies emphasised that the speech was balanced and moderate.
      According to Häkämies, comments in many areas have been positive once the text has been examined. He said that the controversial part, in which he described Russia as Finland's biggest security challenge, had been taken out of context.
     
Finnish President Tarja Halonen commented on the speech on Friday night. She said in a television interview that it contained some "rather personal emphases".
      She pointed out that when representing Finland abroad, it would be good not to create "wrong impressions", which differ from the policy lines arrived at together.
      Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen (Centre) emphasised that Finland does not face military threats from any direction.
      In Vanhanen's view, the Häkämies speech had a clear difference in emphasis compared with Finland's official policy line. "The new security policy report will be drawn up on the basis of a wider security challenge than just Russia."
     
"In a couple of its parts, the speech contains the kind of personal rhetoric that raises quite a few questions", he said.
      Häkämies did not discuss the matter in advance with the Prime Minister. Vanhanen was asked if the speech would reflect primarily on the government, or the National Coalition Party.
      "It is certainly a speech by Häkämies", he answered.
     
Former Foreign Minister, MP Erkki Tuomioja (SDP) said that the speech was one-sided and poorly thought out. Both the time and the place were wrong, in Tuomioja's view.
      "If the National Coalition Party has its own political needs in this, they should not be brought out during an official trip abroad", he said.
      Tuomioja had the impression that President Halonen had not been informed in advance.
      "The Prime Minister cautiously distanced himself from the speech. The National Coalition Party wants to continue opposition politics within the government, and that does not portend very well", Tuomioja said.
     
National Coalition Party chairman and Minister of Finance Jyrki Katainen came to the defence of his party colleague Häkämies at the weekend.
      In the address to a gathering at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Häkämies spoke of Russia in unusually direct terms, calling it Finland's biggest security challenge. This sparked considerable controversy in Finland.
      "It was a very analytical speech, examining a wide range of challenges on the global level, and one of these areas are the challenges of Finland's immediate surroundings", Katainen said.
     
He was not surprised by the controversy. "Everyone knows that when you make a speech in Finland that does not follow the dogmas defined in the 1960s, the focus of attention is on the less relevant parts."
      Katainen promised that more straight talk would come from members of his party during the autumn, when questions to be discussed will include Afghanistan, security guarantees of the European Union, the security and defence policy report, and Finnish participation in the NATO Response Force (NRF).
      He urged others to speak plainly as well. "I hope that this autumn we could try the unusual method of speaking about actual matters and their content, rather than focusing on the choreography."
     
Speaker of Parliament Sauli Niinistö, another leading figure in the National Coalition Party, said in a television interview programme on Saturday that visits to the United States after the new Finnish government took office have been given news value "beyond their own measure".
      Niinistö noted that in the background of the speech is the discussion, which has gone on for years, on whether or not there is anything wrong in relations between Finland and the United States. With that in mind, he feels that there is reason to be active in the direction of the USA.
     
Already on Friday, Häkämies said that he stands by the speech, and sees no reason for regrets.
      He also said that the speech had been available to President Halonen for a week.
      The sharp criticism from Erkki Tuomioja did not surprise him, coming as it did from a figure in the largest opposition party.
     
On Saturday, President Halonen's chief of staff Jarmo Viinanen said that the President did not get to read Häkämies's speech in advance.
      Häkämies had submitted the text of the speech to the President's office on Friday last week, but the paper never reached the President.
      "The President was not aware of the content of the speech. This was because of my carelessness", Viinanen continued.
      From Tuesday through Friday the following week, President Halonen was attending a meeting of the World Economic Forum in China.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Häkämies in Washington: Russia Finland´s greatest challenge (7.9.2007)

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