Vanhanen denies unnecessary haste in decision to attend Olympics

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Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen (Centre) denied accusations by opposition Social Democrats during Parliamentary Question Time on Thursday, that his early announcement that he would attend the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics would have deprived the European Union of the possibility to form a common stand on the matter.
      "I cannot say that I would have made the decision terribly quickly", Vanhanen said. He announced his intention to attend the ceremony last Saturday.
      Vanhanen also said that many EU leaders had already taken a stand on the matter, and quite a few have said that they will not attend the Olympics. He reiterated that there is no "common behaviour" on the matter.
      According to Vanhanen, when the EU makes common decisions, they are made genuinely together. The system is not that the first announce that they will stay away, and that the others have no other option than not to attend.
      He added that he announced his decision to attend the event at this stage in order to put a stop to debate on the matter.
     
Social Democratic Members of Parliament pressed Vanhanen on the stand taken by the whole government on participation in the opening ceremonies, after it came out that Vanhanen and Minister for Foreign Affairs Alexander Stubb (Nat. Coalition Party) have disagreed on the issue, and Stubb changed his own position at three-day intervals.
      "No disagreement has emerged within the government on this", the Prime Minister responded. "The Prime Minister and Foreign Minister do not have differing views", he insisted
     
Extra flavour was brought in to the debate by Left Alliance MP Jaakko Laakso, who went against the official view of his own party and praised Vanhanen for the fact that Finland is not boycotting the opening ceremonies.
      "He took the words right out of my mouth", said Centre Party MP and former Olympic skier Juha Mieto in response to Laakso's statement.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Foreign Minister downplays differences with PM on Olympics (24.4.2008)
  Prime Minister to attend opening of Beijing Olympics (21.4.2008)

Helsingin Sanomat