EAPC Ministerial Meeting 17 Dec. 1997

Statement by Ms. Tarja Halonen, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland General Mr. Chairman, The Euro-Atlantic community has at its disposal more effective international organisations and cooperative arrangements than ever before. OSCE, the Council of Europe, EAPC/PfP, WEU, enlarging EU and NATO, have all been strengthened in order to meet the challenge of creating a common security space. How to use these tools? One key word is cooperation between the organisations. They all pursue similar objectives on the basis of OSCE principles and joint values. If the organisations cooperate they also complement and reinforce each other in an effective way. In this respect it is an interesting opportunity for me and many of my colleagues around this table to be here in the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council today and attend the OSCE Ministerial Meeting in Copenhagen tomorrow. Another key word is the broad concept of security. EAPC and the Partnership for Peace programme have their focus mainly in military crisis management and related politico- military issues. This is an important part of European security cooperation. At the same time we need much more than mere military solutions. PfP and this Council make a contribution also in other dimensions, which in my view further strengthens their role. It is worth noting that crisis management itself is undergoing major change. In a modern operation military, political and other civilian components are integrated. EAPC/PFP Let me focus my remarks mostly on the prospects for future work of the EAPC and the Partnership for Peace programme. Some tangible progress has been made in the six months period since the Sintra and Madrid meetings. Finland does hope that the momentum will be maintained. What we need is a clear vision about the future role of the EAPC/PfP and more hard work in the months to come. I am delighted about the efforts made in order to create firm EAPC working structures and a programme of work which is both broadly based and detailed. Only a well organised EAPC will provide for genuine cooperation between NATO Members and Partners. The EAPC Action Plan and the Partnership Work Programme offer a detailed basis for our further efforts. It should be possible for the EAPC Ministers to give taskings to the EAPC Ambassadors; and for the latter to carry out the instructions and report back to us. The new forms of cooperation should increase transparency within the Euro-Atlantic community. Finland would welcome substantive briefings in the EAPC on a growing number of subjects dealt with in the North Atlantic Council and in the Permanent Joint Council of NATO and Russia. The EAPC has a key role in ensuring effective participation of Partner countries in any future NATO-led crisis management operations. As equal opportunities as possible for all those who contribute to the operation and timely preparation would greatly facilitate participation. We look forward to the setting up of a political military framework for PfP operations. We appreciate the regionally focused work done in the EAPC and PfP. Finland has expressed readiness to discuss how they could further support security and stability in our own region, the Baltic Sea area. It might be useful to try to identify new practical items for cooperation. To conclude, a few specific items: A number of Finnish civilian authorities are currently examining our interest to take part in the work of NATO committees opened to Partners. Finland has also made clear that it wishes to provide officers to Partnership Staff Elements. We will host our first PfP crisis management exercise in 1998/1999. And we welcome NATO's Atlantic Policy Advisory Group (APAG) in EAPC format to a meeting in Finland next April. Bosnia Mr. Chairman, I have also remarks on the other item on the agenda, which is very close to our minds these days, namely the Situation in and around Bosnia and Herzegovina. These comments are included in the text that will be distributed to you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina is not yet stable. The mandate of SFOR expires in June 1998. If there is no credible international military presence in Bosnia and Herzegovina after that, a return to war and collapse of reconstruction efforts and of the whole Dayton agreement is likely. In that case we would risk all the efforts done so far to restore peace in Bosnia. Deterrence is still needed. The international community must continue to keep pressure on the signatories of the Dayton agreement in order to progress towards full implementation of the agreement. Special attention should be paid on the promotion of human rights and the rule of law as the basis for everyday life. National institutions should be strengthened and a free and independent media be developed. Even though military presence is still needed emphasis should be shifted from military to civilian tasks and the military operation should be more closely integrated with civil implementation. This would be cost-effective and provide a solid basis for successful conclusion of the military mission. Police reform and reorganisation is an essential element to successful civil implementation. The restoration of political and economic stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina requires functional and well managed police and judicial systems. One of the main tasks of the United Nations International Police Task Force (IPTF) is the restructuring of law enforcement forces in the country. Finland has contributed to peacekeeping in Bosnia and Herzegovina by a contingent in the Nordic-Polish Brigade of IFOR and SFOR and is willing to participate in a follow- on operation as well.