It was reported on Wednesday by the Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE) that a request has been made to the Finnish government for additional troops to be sent to join the ISAF forces in Afghanistan.
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs announced that the NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen sent Finland a letter on the subject last week, asking that Finland consider sending more operational personnel and trainers.
Finland’s political leaders are expected to discuss the request in the near future.
In a major statement on the subject of Afghanistan on Tuesday, U.S. President Barack Obama announced that an additional 30,000 American troops would be deployed in the country.
He further asked European countries to send between 5,000 and 10,000 extra soldiers to the country.
Speaking on Wednesday afternoon, Finland's Defence Minister Jyri Häkämies (National Coalition Party) was unwilling to forecast whether Finland would send more troops on the basis of the NATO request.
He said the request had been anticipated, but told journalists in Parliament that the President and government have not as yet discussed the matter.
Häkämies noted that he had been arguing the whole time for a greater emphasis on civilian crisis management in Afghanistan, and said he hoped and believed that such ideas would find broader support.
