Finland, parliamentary question on military pact with Israel; Iceland does not withdraw 2009 application

The Finnish dispute over the military memorandum with Israel moves from public debate to parliamentary records. On September 1st, deputies of the Finnish Left tabled a joint written question to the government: the author is Mai Kivelä, with the support of the entire group. The text asks what the content of the signed document is, who was aware of the extension, and whether Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen acted with his own powers or with the endorsement of the foreign policy leadership. “Did Häkkänen act with his own powers, or did the foreign policy leadership approve it?” (transl. from Finnish), reads the group’s statement.

We reported on this matter on August 31st, when opposition reactions were still statements and the government had not yet replied.

Now there is a reply. According to what Häkkänen told Yle, the document does not represent a change in political direction and Finland has similar cooperation agreements with about forty countries: “It is not a dramatic new direction” (transl. from English). On the content, Yle’s investigation indicates a scope covering research, development and acquisition of military equipment; the memorandum replaces five-year agreements dating back to 2013 and remains in force until 2034. It also provides for a Finnish-Israeli coordination group that meets at least once a year and on which, for the Finnish side, sits Defence official Olli Ruutu. The reconstruction of the content remains that of the Finnish public broadcaster, subsequently picked up by other outlets: no full publication of the text is currently available.

A written question does not open proceedings nor obligate the disclosure of the memorandum: it obligates the relevant ministry to respond in writing within the deadlines set by parliamentary rules. The difference compared to last week is that the request for clarification now enters into a formal act, with a recipient and a deadline.

On the same day, in Reykjavík, the second chapter of the thread closes. After the No vote in the consultative referendum on reopening negotiations with Brussels — which we reported on August 31st — the Foreign Minister briefed the Althingi’s Foreign Affairs committee on August 31st and on September 1st told the newspaper Morgunblaðið that this government will not open negotiations with the Union and does not intend to formally withdraw the application filed in 2009. This is the intermediate position: no mandate to negotiate, no cancellation of the application filed seventeen years ago.

The opposition is moving against that choice. The Independence Party, the Centre Party and the Progressive Party have announced a parliamentary motion for the formal withdrawal of the application, to be tabled when the Althingi resumes its work. The consultative vote concerned the resumption of negotiations, not the fate of the application: the referendum says nothing about withdrawal, and the motion shifts the decision to the chamber.

The two fronts share the mechanism, not the substance: in both cases a parliamentary minority uses chamber tools to force the executive to put a position in writing. In Finland the government must respond to the question; in Iceland the motion will be scheduled when the Althingi reconvenes.

Sources: STT Info / Vasemmistoliitto (parliamentary group statement); Kansan Uutiset; NordiskPost (on Yle investigation); Middle East Monitor (Anadolu, Turkish state agency, reprint, sourced from Yle); Morgunblaðið; Vísir.