4. FINLAND
by Hania Bitar

Since 1917, determined by geopolitical factors, Finland has had the tradition of neutrality. Neutrality for Finland was a political choice and eventually became a broadly applied method of its foreign policy. Finland has consistently favoured strengthening the capabilities of the UN and the CSCE to maintain international peace and security. Ever since Finland became a member of the UN in 1955, it has actively participated in the work of the organisation, its commissions, bodies and agencies, and the conferences it has arranged.

Finnish troops have served under the UN flag in the Middle East (Suez, Sinai, Golan, Lebanon). Finland has pledged markka 40 million since late 1993, mainly for multilateral initiatives. Disbursements include markka 1,5 million for the Johan Jorgen Holst Peace Fund; support in kind worth markka 270 000 for the Palestinian Police Force; markka 1 million for Red Cross activities; and markka 7 million to support UNRWA programmes in the region.

In September 1995, Palestinian President Yasser Arafat extended an invitation to the Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari to visit Palestine. President Ahtisaari accepted the invitation and said that it will be on the agenda for next year.

The Finnish government promised the same month to look into the possibility of supporting Palestinian health institutions, especially the Khan Yunis Centre for Rehabilitation, established by the Palestinian Red Cross. Dr. Fathi Arafat, brother of President Arafat, met in Helsinki with the Finnish Minister of Development and officials from the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and briefed them on the latest developments in the peace process, stressing the need of the Palestinian health sector for aid. A Finnish NGO, with the cooperation of individual donors and medical companies, sent medical aid to the Palestinians and promised them that such aid will continue in the future.