kontulib
March 20th, 2003, 07:17 AM
Finland laments launching of military action by U.S.
Finnish position on war set out by President and government
Finland laments the launching of military action by the U.S. and its allies, and says that the use of military force without the specific authorisation of the UN Security Council is unacceptable. The Finnish position was set out early on Thursday morning, when members of the Cabinet Committee on Foreign and Security Policy met with President Tarja Halonen, and discussed the war launched on Iraq a few hours previously.
The meeting, which lasted around an hour, also involved briefings from a variety of experts.
Finland's position was announced by the President in a news conference in the morning, and a short official statement was issued on the President's website.
"The ongoing war must not result in the marginalisation of the UN. It is obligatory that the role and responsibility of the United Nations and its organisations remain central in the drafting and implementation of the forthcoming decisions and measures", said the statement.
There was no reference to condemning the war as such, but Halonen emphasised in her news conference that Finland regarded the affair as unequivocally regrettable. She said the US actions were a disappointment, but one that had been gradually prepared for in the past days.
On the question of where Finland stood, in reference to President George W. Bush's remarks earlier that there were 35 countries in the United States' coalition of the willing, Halonen replied that Finland was naturally a member of the United Nations and of the European Union.
She remarked that she did not consider the counting of alliances to be the important issue, although she quite understood that the parties concerned might feel that way. "The most important thing is that we can with all speed get to what we have hoped for, namely action under the leadership of the United Nations", said Halonen.
She added that Finland had a readiness to provide humanitarian aid, although she was cautious about commenting on the content of that aid.
Halonen observed that from the tone of Bush's address one got the impression that the United States was speaking on behalf of the entire world outside Iraq. She pointed out that the weapons of mass destruction in Iraq had been the preoccupation of the world at large for at least a decade, but that the military actions of the United States and its allies were the affairs of these countries only.
Halonen said she believed that the European Union would be able to gather itself to a broad sense of unanimity on what was to come. She said that hitherto the EU had acted unanimously - albeit with differences on the subject of the use of military force. Her remarks were directed in particular to the provision of humanitarian assistance.
The Thursday morning meeting also examined ways in which Finns should react to the current situation. The government message was that the situation is being monitored closely and that at the present time there is no likelihood of direct repercussions in this country. The government has if necessary a readiness to take certain measures, noted Halonen, but she stressed the present calm state of affairs.
The President had been woken in the early hours to inform her of the start of hostilities. She had not been surprised at the turn of events, she said.
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Source: Helsingin Sanomat
Finnish position on war set out by President and government
Finland laments the launching of military action by the U.S. and its allies, and says that the use of military force without the specific authorisation of the UN Security Council is unacceptable. The Finnish position was set out early on Thursday morning, when members of the Cabinet Committee on Foreign and Security Policy met with President Tarja Halonen, and discussed the war launched on Iraq a few hours previously.
The meeting, which lasted around an hour, also involved briefings from a variety of experts.
Finland's position was announced by the President in a news conference in the morning, and a short official statement was issued on the President's website.
"The ongoing war must not result in the marginalisation of the UN. It is obligatory that the role and responsibility of the United Nations and its organisations remain central in the drafting and implementation of the forthcoming decisions and measures", said the statement.
There was no reference to condemning the war as such, but Halonen emphasised in her news conference that Finland regarded the affair as unequivocally regrettable. She said the US actions were a disappointment, but one that had been gradually prepared for in the past days.
On the question of where Finland stood, in reference to President George W. Bush's remarks earlier that there were 35 countries in the United States' coalition of the willing, Halonen replied that Finland was naturally a member of the United Nations and of the European Union.
She remarked that she did not consider the counting of alliances to be the important issue, although she quite understood that the parties concerned might feel that way. "The most important thing is that we can with all speed get to what we have hoped for, namely action under the leadership of the United Nations", said Halonen.
She added that Finland had a readiness to provide humanitarian aid, although she was cautious about commenting on the content of that aid.
Halonen observed that from the tone of Bush's address one got the impression that the United States was speaking on behalf of the entire world outside Iraq. She pointed out that the weapons of mass destruction in Iraq had been the preoccupation of the world at large for at least a decade, but that the military actions of the United States and its allies were the affairs of these countries only.
Halonen said she believed that the European Union would be able to gather itself to a broad sense of unanimity on what was to come. She said that hitherto the EU had acted unanimously - albeit with differences on the subject of the use of military force. Her remarks were directed in particular to the provision of humanitarian assistance.
The Thursday morning meeting also examined ways in which Finns should react to the current situation. The government message was that the situation is being monitored closely and that at the present time there is no likelihood of direct repercussions in this country. The government has if necessary a readiness to take certain measures, noted Halonen, but she stressed the present calm state of affairs.
The President had been woken in the early hours to inform her of the start of hostilities. She had not been surprised at the turn of events, she said.
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Source: Helsingin Sanomat