President Halonen could agree to EU mandate for crisis management forces

President concluding visit to France

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President Tarja Halonen has relented on her insistence that the deployment of Finnish soldiers in international crisis management operations would require a mandate from the United Nations. On Wednesday, during her ongoing visit to France, Halonen said that a mandate from the European Unoin would be sufficient.
      Halonen said that the task of the working group preparing reforms to the law on peacekeeping is to draw up a solution that would allow Finnish participation in EU combat forces whenever the EU is unanimous on the matter.
      "Naturally this could also involve a situation in which there is no decision from the UN Security Council", the President said at a press conference in the Northern French city of Lille.
      Halonen’s visit to France concludes today, Thursday.
     
Finland has decided to commit soldiers to two EU battle groups to be ready for rapid deployment to deal with crises in trouble spots around the world.
      Present legislation allows Finnish troops to be used only with the authorisation of the UN or the Organisation of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
      Halonen has previously voiced the opinion that all EU crisis management operations should have the authorisation of the UN. On Wednesday she still emphasised that a UN mandate should be the "main rule".
      In a newspaper interview, Halonen outlined four possible situations in which the UN might not give its blessing to an EU operation. One would be that UN authorisation is seen as unnecessary, because both sides of a conflict ask for foreign troops to be sent into a country.
      Another scenario would be if some country puts obstacles in the way of a decision "for reasons that go against the UN charter". The third is if there is "genuine dispute" on the question itself. She also said that it is possible that the UN would be "staunchly opposed" to the action.
     
The President would not say which of these scenarios would justify Finnish participation in crisis management without UN permission.
      She also seemed annoyed that in the Finnish debate over peacekeeping issues, the UN and the EU seem to have been pitted against each other.
      "The aim of the EU is to support the activities of the UN", she noted.
      She also insisted that issues of whose mandate will be used will not impede Finland from taking part in the EU forces which should be operational in 2007 and 2008.
      "Finland will keep its word", she said.
     
President Halonen spent Wednesday in Lille learning about French biotechnology companies. She also visited the local art museum, which hosted a large exhibition of the golden age of Finnish art a couple of years ago.
      Halonen was shown around the city by Mayor Martine Aubry, one of the most visible woman politicians of France’s opposition Socialist Party. As Minister of Labour in the previous government, she presided over the implementation of the 35-hour working week in France.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Finnish President in France: EU must speak to Russia with one voice (2.3.3005)
  President Halonen begins four-day official visit to France (1.3.2005)

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