Parliament reaffirms militarily non-allied status of Finland

Parliament reaffirmed Finland's status as a militarily non-allied country in a vote on the government's report on security and defence policy on Tuesday.
      Jyrki Katainen, chairman of the opposition National Coalition Party, had put forward a motion declaring that Finland is no longer militarily non-allied in the traditional sense.
      However, the motion never reached the final vote, because of a manoeuvre by Parliamentary Speaker Paavo Lipponen (SDP).
     
Speaker Lipponen first put Katainen's motion against another one that had been put forward by Left Alliance MP Jaakko Laakso.
      According to Laakso's motion, Finland should not even consider the possibility of NATO membership. In the vote, MPs of the government parties first tactically voted for Laakso's motion, which meant that Katainen's proposal never reached the final vote.
      In the final stage, Laakso's proposal to rule out NATO membership in all circumstances was the one that went up against the motion to approve the government's report.
      The National Coalition Party was effectively forced to back the government, and the defence policy report was passed by a vote of 165 - 25. Supporting the Left Alliance motion were the True Finns and two Christian Democrats.
     
A second counter-proposal by Katainen, concerning changes to the law on peacekeeping, reached the final vote.
      Under the present law on peacekeeping, Finland can take part in crisis management operations only under a mandate of the United Nations or the Organisation on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Consideration has recently been given to the possibility of allowing Finnish rapid deployment forces to operate under a mandate of the European Union.
      A proposal by the Parliament's Defence Committee anticipated changes in the legislation only by "considering it possible" that a UN mandate would not always be available.
      Katainen proposed that Parliament should specifically call for a change to the law to lift the requirement of a UN or OSCE mandate. The Defence Committee's view prevailed 149 - 42.
      On the issue of giving up infantry land mines, the government's proposal to eliminate the mines by 2016 was up against one put forward by Eero Akaan-Penttilä (Nat. Coalition). Under Akaan-Penttilä's proposal, the mines should be kept until they become physically obsolete.
      The governments' view prevailed 138 - 50. The three representatives of the National Coalition Party who are on the Defence Committee voted with the government.
     
Parliament also rejected a number of other counter-proposals to the Defence Report. For instance, a motion which would have required Parliamentary approval for the shutting down of military garrisons was defeated 162 - 29.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Opposition conservatives break ranks over defence policy (21.12.2004)
  Intervention by President topples conservative NATO operation (20.12.2004)
  Support in Defence Committee for EU mandate for deployment of forces (13.12.2004)
  "Non-allied" has become an empty and unnecessary phrase (29.9.2004)
  Finnish military non-alignment no longer self-evident issue (29.9.2004)