Lipponen believes US wants to improve relations with European Union

Parliamentary speaker says EU might not be ready

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According to Parliamentary Speaker Paavo Lipponen (SDP), the state of relations between the European Union and the United States has changed since the first term of President George W. Bush.
      During a visit to New York, Lipponen told Helsingin Sanomat that Bush has indicated a desire to develop transatlantic ties, and that the composition of his new administration suggests the same. He also said that the EU might not be ready for a new approach from the US. He emphasised that Finland's relations with the USA are in good shape.
     
Lipponen faults the EU for not having a unified policy toward the United States. He says that such a policy should be rapidly developed, and that small countries like Finland should have a strong input into the process.
      Lipponen also feels that Finland's bilateral ties with the United States have remained at least as important during Finland's membership in the EU as before Finland joined, and that before Finland became an EU member in 1995, relations were in good shape.
      "Relations have been good throughout history", said Lipponen, who was in New York taking part in an economic seminar linked with the EU's Northern Dimension project.
     
Lipponen will not speculate on the possible effect that the speech at the United Nations by President Tarja Halonen may have had on Finnish-US relations. In the speech she denounced the war in Iraq as illegal.
      "There is no point in dwelling on the past. If we did that, then I could also dig up all of the stupid things that I heard two years ago. It was a low point of sorts for me", Lipponen said, recalling the political storm that ensued from a trip he made to the US when he was Prime Minister.
      Lipponen felt that the furore revealed "a complete lack of expertise" combined with "pure politics". In his view, this is something that "Finns cannot afford".
      Lipponen sharply disagrees with critics of Finland's current foreign policy leaders who say that President Halonen and Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja (SDP) are wasting time on promoting global issues, rather than focusing on vital relations between their own country and the United States, for instance.
      He said that those who make such claims form "stereotypes of the President and Foreign Minister, without looking into what they have really said". He also noted that unanimity in foreign policy and policy toward Europe has constantly increased in Finland.
     
One indication of increased unanimity in Lipponen's view is the increasing support shown for defence cooperation in the EU, and that no parties are calling for joining NATO.
      The NATO debate got a new dimension last week when German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder called for promoting transatlantic cooperation not so much within NATO as within the EU. Lipponen feels that Schröder's speech was familiar, and quite welcome.
      Paavo Lipponen believes that NATO will continue to have a role in increasing stability in Europe. Even though it has a common foreign and security policy that is still in development, Lipponen feels that the EU cannot take overall responsibility for European stability, or for transatlantic relations.
      Nevertheless, he foresees changes in the role of NATO. Although the alliance still has clear military strengths in transport and intelligence, for instance, Lipponen feels that it is not possible within NATO "to plan common policy of the EU and the United States toward China or Iran, for instance".
     
As for possible Finnish membership in NATO, Lipponen does not categorically reject it, but he does recommend caution.
      He also feels that it is important for Finland and Sweden to "walk hand in hand" in the development of relations with NATO. Lipponen welcomed a recent statement by Swedish Foreign Minister Laila Freivalds, who has revised her views on NATO "in a new, positive way".


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Halonen says relations with USA remain good (4.3.2004)
  Lipponen apologises for aggressive column in weekly magazine (16.2.2004)
  Lipponen accuses Centre Party of sowing confusion over Iraq (12.3.2003)
  Centre Party leader: Finland has been added to U.S. coalition (7.3.2003)

Helsingin Sanomat