PM Vanhanen: EU authorisation sufficient for crisis operation
President Halonen wants to keep requirement of UN mandate for peacekeepers
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Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen (Centre) wants to amend the act on peacekeeping to allow Finnish soldiers to take part in crisis management operations authorised by the European Union.
President Tarja Halonen would prefer to stick to the current regulations, under which Finnish participation in such operations would require a mandate from the United Nations or the Organisation on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
Vanhanen was speaking at a seminar in Oulu arranged by the newspaper Kaleva.
On Friday, the government and President Halonen agreed that a working group set up by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs would examine possible changes to peacekeeping legislation.
Participants at the meeting did not decide what kinds of changes should be made. However, President Halonen is known to be opposed to dropping the requirement for a UN mandate.
The need for legislative changes is largely the result of plans by Finland to participate in the rapid deployment forces of the European Union.
Under the current act on peacekeeping, Finns can only take part in operations with a mandate from the UN or the OSCE. Vanhanen feels that the requirement is too restrictive, as it automatically prevents Finland from taking part in operations authorised by the EU which the UN Security Council has not endorsed.
Vanhanen asked how it would be possible not to take part in an operation if Finland is, nevertheless, part of a battle group that is on call for the purpose.
The Prime Minister added that to his knowledge, Finland and Ireland are the only EU countries for whom a decision by the EU alone would not be enough for participation in a peacekeeping operation.
Vanhanen said that an EU mandate could be approved in two different ways: by either adding it to the law on peacekeeping, or by passing separate laws whenever necessary.
He noted that the disadvantage of the latter option is that a small minority in Parliament would be able to delay passage of such a law.
Ten years ago a handful of opponents of EU membership staged a four-day filibuster to delay passage of the agreement under which Finland joined the Union. Rapid deployment forces are expected to be ready for action within five days.
Vanhanen feels that the rules concerning peacekeeping activities need to be changed, because operations nowadays generally do not involve traditional missions, such as monitoring a ceasefire. Crisis management forces are sent between hostile forces to prevent a genocide, for instance.
After the seminar Vanhanen would not speculate as to whether or not President Halonen and Parliament might be ready to approve the changes that he called for.
In his extensive speech Vanhanen also took up the issue of non-alignment and non-allied status. He said that the term "militarily non-allied" refers only to the fact that Finland is not a member of a military alliance.
"In foreign policy we are anything but non-allied", he added.
"We are in a close political alliance through our EU membership, and in the broader sense we are part of the Western world - the transatlantic community."
"Foreign policy is the front line of our security policy, national defence is its strong final link. In the coming years there will be room in it for much international cooperation in the field of military crisis management. Next to them, the NATO debate is academic."
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 17.11.2004 - TODAY |
 PM Vanhanen: EU authorisation sufficient for crisis operation |
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