Past history attempting to get the upper hand over the present in Estonia
Kanerva told the representatives of the press that normal ministerial routines had begun. In the case of the foreign minister, timetables are tight and the travel calendar is intense. Discharging the tasks of foreign minister is a matter of implementing the Government programme, and in this regard the pace isn’t slackening, he continued. Kanerva said that during the day he had met with the President of the Republic for the traditional meeting of the president and the foreign minister.
As to the working dinner in Oslo, Kanerva said he had briefly informed his American colleague, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, of the new Finnish Government’s basic policies. Rice hoped to hear more about them in Washington. Kanerva continued that the planning of a visit to the United States would begin at civil servant level. “It’s time for both parties to review relations, though Finnish–American relations haven’t been in the deep-freeze,” the minister added.
The situation in Kosovo and President Martti Ahtisaari’s plan for the area had also come up during the dinner. “I didn’t hear that a single participant would have criticised Ahtisaari’s Kosovo proposals,” Kanerva stated. One could say that at the meeting the plan received undivided support, he continued.
Security policy report at the end of the decade
When asked about the Government’s foreign and security policy report during the meeting with representatives of the press, Kanerva replied that the time for compiling the report would be fixed only after the fate of the EU Constitutional Treaty is known. Government decisions concerning the report are likely to be made in either 2008 or 2009.
Kanerva pointed out that Finland has much at stake with regard to the Constitutional Treaty. Foreign relations are linked with the issue. The treaty has a crucial impact on the EU’s decision-making process. "Finland is a Member State of the EU, but Finland should also have good bilateral relations in different directions," the minister stated.
Political state secretary a topic of interest
During the meeting, representatives of the press raised the question of appointing a political state secretary to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs several times. Kanerva confirmed that the National Coalition Party will appoint four state secretaries, and one of them will be appointed to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. A list of names has been drawn up, and the intention is to make decisions in the next few days rather than in the next few weeks, the minister concluded.
A webcast of the press conference(Link to another website.) (Opens New Window)