FINLAND:Finland's foreign minister wants calm reflection on the Georgian conflict, writes Derek Scally
FINLAND:FINLAND HAS rejected the idea of sanctions against Russia ahead of this morning's emergency EU summit on the Georgian conflict.
A war of words has followed the short conflict, with western condemnation of Moscow's decision to recognise Abkhazia and South Ossetia followed by the Russian description of the Georgian conflict as a "US ploy".
"There's a little too much testosterone flying around in many of the comments," said Finland's foreign minister Alexander Stubb to The Irish Times. "I attribute that to being a part of the war propaganda. I don't think it benefits the calm solution of conflict."
Just nine months after making the career leap from MEP to foreign minister, entering office on his 40th birthday, the energetic Stubb has been catapulted into the centre of Georgian conflict as chair of the Organisation for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE).
He has visited the conflict region and witnessed disturbing events, he says, such as elderly Georgians being told by Russian soldiers to pack their belongings and being shipped out of their South Ossetian villages in military transports.
"Ethnic cleansing is a very strong term with many connotations, and I'm very careful not to point the finger in any direction," he says. "But in the long run we will need to set up an international independent investigation to look at issues of displacement and the sources of the conflict."
The Georgian conflict has created mild alarm in Finland, a country with a history of incursions by its large neighbour. That shadow hung over the non-aligned country's debate on Nato membership during the cold war, and now does so again.
Finland's pro-Nato camp sees recent events in Georgia as proof of the necessity of joining, while Nato critics say the war is a perfect example of why not to join.
"We should keep the door open but the time is not ripe for Nato membership right now," says Stubb. "I do not think that this conflict should be the kick-off for Finnish membership. It would probably be an emotional debate, and we need to have distance from the conflict."
Whenever Finland's Nato discussion is held, it will be taking place in a very different geopolitical situation.
The Georgian conflict marks a turning point in geopolitics, suggests Stubb, after years of discussing threats like rogue states, global terrorism and climate change. "The Georgian conflicts shows that traditional threats are still very much alive."
Considering the emerging threat, the Helsinki media has been scathing of the disarray in the Finnish government ranks.
Finland's president Tarja Halonen will exercise her foreign policy prerogative and attend the summit alongside prime minister Matti Vanhanen.
With just two seats for each member state, Stubb may only be able to attend the meeting as OSCE chairman - requiring him to leave the room before EU leaders begin their debate.
The Helsingin Sanomat newspaper remarked drily that "the situation at the extraordinary summit is extraordinary indeed".
Stubb is anxious to play down the game of foreign policy musical chairs and insists he will attend as foreign minister, "though it depends a bit on whether you sit in the room".
"I don't think we'll have three seats," he said.
Stubb is on much firmer ground on the unresolved issue of the Lisbon Treaty.
His PhD on flexible EU integration and opt-outs is no doubt already on the bedside locker of many Irish officials, as they negotiate their way back from the brink in the coming months.
Hearing of an Irish delegation's trip to Copenhagen to learn about Danish opt-outs, he notes that opt-outs are nothing new in the EU, but amount to voluntary exclusion from co-operation.
"They're not of benefit for the country in question," he says. "The Danes would be first to say that."
Finland has had its own Lisbon difficulties recently, courtesy of the residents of the autonomous Ãland islands.
They have threatened to complicate Finland's life with Lisbon, but Stubb is confident the government can do a deal to address their demands for greater representation in decision-making on EU matters.
He is similarly unconcerned by the prospect of Declan Ganley's Libertas fielding EU-critical candidates across the Continent in next year's elections to the European parliament, seeing parallels with the UK Independence Party (UKIP).
"No matter how slick and brilliant [ UKIP leader] Nigel Farage is, the party has become a complete footnote with no influence."
As the EU machinery gets in gear after the summer break, Stubb says it is clear that the "burden of proof" for a solution to this problem lies with the Irish Government. But, as one small EU nation to another, he says that Finland's is a conciliatory position. "We will not leave Ireland behind - no one wants that," said Stubb.
"The idea of a core Europe - with others moving ahead and leaving others behind - is good as a nuclear weapon. You might want to threaten with it, but you don't want to use it."