President Surprised by Afghan Troop Withdrawal
President Tarja Halonen
Image: YLE
President Tarja Halonen says that the withdrawal of a supplementary force of Finnish peacekeepers in Afghanistan took her by surprise, as she believed they would be on the ground until the end of the presidential election. Defence Minister Jyri Häkämies says the departure date was agreed long ago with NATO.
Finland currently has around 200 peacekeepers in Afghanistan, 80 of whom were sent to shore up security during the presidential election. That supplementary force is now coming home at the end of October, despite the fact that the election's second round is scheduled for November 7.
The second round was postponed for a couple of months during investigations of election fraud.
Halonen says she had understood that the commitment was to keep the peacekeepers there until the end of the election, and had even mentioned that they should be given an extension under the circumstances.
She says she was surprised to hear last Friday that the soldiers were coming home so soon. But speaking to a journalist in Cairo, she also underscored that the withdrawal timetable was agreed between the Ministry of Defence and NATO, and that the Finnish President has no part in the decision.
Defence Minister Jyri Häkämies says that the departure date was set in the summer, and denies leaving the President out of the loop.
"Under no circumstances was the President sidelined. The President validated the decision to send additional troops during the election. The President was the final seal on the agreement," says Häkämies.
YLE