President Halonen wants UN to lead Afghan civilian aid

Prime Minister Vanhanen: If Finland were in NATO, Finnish soldiers could be in combat in Afghanistan

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Finland wants the United Nations to lead the distribution of aid to civilians in Afghanistan. President Tarja Halonen plans to underscore this view at the NATO summit in Bucharest on Thursday.
      Meanwhile, in Helsinki, Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen (Centre) has said that if Finland were a member of NATO, Finnish forces might be involved in combat in Afghanistan.
     
Speaking at a security policy seminar of the Centre Party, Vanhanen noted that every Finn has the question in mind, that “if Finland were a NATO member, would we be in the present kind of mission in the north, or in tougher combat duties in the south?”
      “The question is relevant”, he added.
      The Prime Minister’s own view came out in a comment before he asked the rhetorical question.
      “The citizens of a NATO country need to actively support membership, and the obligations that follow, to take part in common operations. You don’t join a club to say no, but rather to take part in the activities that are the work of the organisation.”
      According to Vanhanen, it can be seen in Afghanistan that Partnership for Peace countries that do not belong to NATO, such as Finland, bring an “appreciated additional input” to the alliance, but that NATO countries that avoid combat duties in the south of Afghanistan are “in poor standing” within the alliance.
     
This is the point of view that Vanhanen says affects his thinking on NATO.
      He added that Finland has not been put under pressure to move to the southern part of Afghanistan. “Finland’s position is good. We can do what we want to.”
      The Centre Party leader also said that he has pondered how NATO membership would affect Finland’s political ability to manoeuvre and on the possibilities to define political views on the country’s own terms. “While redeeming solidarity from others, would we be dependent on the political views of the other countries, whose help we would need in a possible moment of crisis?”
      Vanhanen’s apparent reference was to the United States.
     
Vanhanen says that Finland will not seek NATO membership in the government’s next report on defence and security policy, but that the option for joining NATO will be kept open.
      “We are not closing any doors.”
      Future Foreign Minister, MEP Alexander Stubb (Nat. Coalition Party) is an active supporter of NATO membership, which has been seen to add to push the whole government closer to supporting such a move.
     
On the Afghanistan issue, President Tarja Halonen wants the UN to take over the distribution of aid to civilians.
      Halonen said that she plans to emphasise the role of the UN at the summit of NATO in the Romanian capital Bucharest, where she an a number of other Finnish politicians have arrived.
      In addition to President Halonen, Minister of Defence Jyri Häkämies (Nat. Coalition Party) and a number of civil servants are also attending. Ilkka Kanerva (Nat. Coalition Party), who is to resign from his post as Foreign Minister, will not be attending.
      On Thursday, Halonen plans to put forward Finland’s views at a meeting on Afghanistan, and at a lunch for members of the Partnership for Peace and NATO members. One of the topics expected to be discussed at the lunch will be that of cooperation between NATO and the EU in Kosovo.
     
Responsibility for policing in Kosovo is shifting from the UN to the European Union, but no official plans have been agreed between the EU and NATO, which is dealing with military crisis management there.
      Sources say that Halonen plans to take up problems of cooperation between NATO and the EU at a meeting on Afghanistan. There are concerns in Finland that obstacles to cooperation between the NATO-led ISAF forces and the small EU-led police operations could endanger the lives of EU police in Afghanistan.
     
Finnish leaders last took part in a NATO summit four years ago in Istanbul. Finland’s role at the summit was minor then, as it is now. Finland is not a member of NATO, and there are no problems linked with Finland from NATO’s point of view. In crisis management, Finland has a medium-level role.
      Finnish debate on possible NATO membership does not ignite passions in any other country, nor is the Finnish controversy over participation in the NATO Response Force (NRF) a political issue in other countries.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Parliament gives approval to NRF participation (31.3.2008)
  NATO Response Force splits both government and opposition parties (12.3.2008)
  NATO measures could cut military presence in North Afghanistan where Finns operate (29.2.2008)
  Finland rules out greater Afghanistan commitment (7.2.2008)
  Finnish peacekeeper killed in Afghanistan (23.5.2007)
  Finnish forces in Afghanistan face vicious opponents (21.4.2007)

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