Vanhanen: Security report is no foreign policy bible

“Nothing surprising about NATO”

Matti Vanhanen

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While the drafting of the government report, which defines the parameters of Finnish foreign and security policy is finally in its final stages, Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen (Centre) has joined the voices of those who downplay the significance of the report as the guiding force of Finnish foreign policy.
      “Far too common is the view that this is a long bible on foreign policy”, said Vanhanen, before the President and the government resumed revising the text for the last time before the Christmas break.
      In the National Coalition Party, both party chairman, Minister of Finance Jyrki Katainen and Minister for Foreign Affairs Alexander Stubb, as well as Minister of Defence Jyri Häkämies have previously criticised the current system of drawing up a government report every four years to be insufficient, and too slow.
     
The foreign policy leadership will still have to wrestle with the text for a couple of days in January before the new security and defence policy report is ready for presentation to Parliament.
      The government’s report, which stakes out the main lines of Finnish defence and foreign policy, is to be given to Parliament when it resumes work after the Christmas break in early February.
      “If it had been necessary to get it ready earlier, we would have made the time”, Vanhanen said.
      The lengthy preparation of the report began in August last year in a “report group” of high-ranking civil servants. The formulation of the final text began in November this year in the foreign and security policy committee of the government and President.
     
The value of the report, in Vanhanen’s view, is in decisions on the resources of the Defence Forces, which transcend Parliamentary terms.
      “That is why the opposition is included in the work in Parliament”, Vanhanen says.
      At times there have been disagreements on resources for defence, and on what to prioritise. According to civil servants, the remaining difficult disputes are linked with foreign policy.
      “If we think about the future, mapping out foreign policy is not what the report is needed for.” Vanhanen said. He did not take issue with how the parts of the report concerning defence and foreign policy might be separated from each other in the future.
     
The foreign policy component in the report takes up about half of the pages, which number more than 100. The text evaluates Finland’s security policy environment, and draws up Finland’s EU policies and its relations with Russia, the United States, and NATO, for instance.
      Vanhanen says that in the preparation of the report, it is also been important to consider what is communicated to the outside world. He feels that the message has been that “with respect to NATO membership, there will be nothing unexpected. The language is very close to the previous report and government programme.”
      In the previous report it was stated that NATO membership is not an option for Finland. According to the current government’s policy programme, this government will not apply to join NATO.
     
No final decisions have been made on the formulation of the NATO statement, nor has the final seal been put on the sections making reference to Russia, according to civil servant sources.
      Vanhanen says that with respect to Russia, it is not a question of a single formulation, as Russia’s role is dealt with on several pages.
      Vanhanen’s role in the final text of the report could be more central than it was when the work began. The text is to be reworked at “seminars” of the foreign and security policy committee. Vanhanen says that this means that the committee can meet in locations other than the government’s premises, and that debate can be of a “seminar type”.
      In addition, in its seminar composition, the Prime Minister chairs the meetings, whereas it has become established practice that the official meetings are chaired by the President.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Defence report to be postponed (14.11.2008)
  Vanhanen: South Ossetia crisis will affect next national defence report (19.9.2008)

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