Peacekeeping veteran wants Finland to join UN force in South Lebanon

General Hägglund says Finns get along well with Lebanese

print this

Finland’s former Chief of Defence Gustav Hägglund, who also served as the Chairman of the European Union’ Military Committee, says that Finland should take part in the United Nations peacekeeping operation in South Lebanon.
      At a press conference marking the publication of his book of memoirs, Hägglund noted that the EU has decided to take part in the mission, and that Finland is the holder of the EU Presidency. "It would be odd if we didn’t go."
     
Hägglund served as commander of the UNIFIL forces in South Lebanon in 1986-1988.
     Plans are to deploy about 15,000 UN troops in the area. The Ministry of Defence was authorised on Friday to initiate preparations for compiling a UN force.
     Under the proposal, Finland would send a strengthened company to Lebanon; in Finland, a company comprises between 110 and 280 soldiers.
     The matter was discussed on Friday morning at a meeting of the Ministerial Committee on Foreign and Security Policy. The meeting was also attended by President Tarja Halonen.
     
General Hägglund sees his time as commander of the UNIFIL operation as a climax of sorts in his military career.
      "My hair turned grey, but I got experience", said Hägglund, 68, describing his years in Lebanon. "I have more experience in leading an operation than any other living Finn."
      Based on his experience, the general said that there would be no point for Finland to send a force anything less than a company. "A group smaller than a company would not be heard or seen there, nor would it be able to operate on its own."
      The most appropriate missions for Finland in Hägglund’s view would be those in which the soldiers would operate among the local people. "Finns somehow get along. They do not walk around with their noses turned up, looking down on the locals at least to the extent that others do", Hägglund explained.
     
The former UN commander said that the situation in South Lebanon now is better than it was in the late 1980s. During his command, Lebanon was in the grips of a civil war, where all groups fought against each other, with both Israel and Syria pushing for the fighting to continue.
      Lebanon is unified, and there are no Syrian forces in the country.
      "Now there are completely different possibilities of achieving a permanent peace between Lebanon and Israel", Hägglund said. However, he also had a list of things that the Hezbollah organisation and Israel must do to achieve peace.
      Disarming Hezbollah is impossible wishful thinking, in General Hägglund’s view.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Defence Minister Kääriäinen: Assembling large Lebanon force could be difficult (17.8.2006)
  Finns to be included in Lebanon peacekeeping force (16.8.2006)
  Tuomioja: EU countries prepare for Lebanon peacekeeping force (1.8.2006)

Helsingin Sanomat