Afghanistan & Neutrality, the Swedish & Finnish EU cases

by iosaf Mon Sep 07, 2009 12:19

I agree with Ed Horgan on most things and the cynicism of Swedish neutrality is certainly one of them. However, I'd qualify that by noting that neutrality is a foodstuff that comes in several types of packaging. The oldest is the cynicism of self-interest supported by undoubted strength, to which both Sweden and Switzerland belong. The other is "initially forced", to which historically post-war Austria belongs, the neutrality of Austria was a condition for the Soviet withdrawl from Vienna which had in its time been occuped by the 4 power alliance of WW2, just like Berlin. In the "initially forced" category we also find Finland, again a condition of its independence set by Russia. I reckon both Austria and Finland continue now with the policy through tradition . Ireland's neutrality belongs somewhere in a third harder to define category but undoubtedly shares much with Finland & we hope cherishes its tradition . The last foreign affairs event to be debated by the SaorStat Eirinn (the Free State of Ireland) was the military rebellion led by Franco against the legitamately elected 2nd republic of Spain. The first foreign policy law enacted by the Eire state was one of such non-involvement in the Spanish civil war that Irish citizens were forbidden to play a part. Although many did, and we ought never forget more on the fascist side than the republican. Thus to end this opinion, I think Irish neutrality was a cynical exercise at birth but one which in the post WW2 world and the later emergence of the non-alligned block of nations at the UN had the potential to become a honourable and powerful instrument in support of peace-keeping, proper legitimate arbitration of conflicts and an end to all wars. No matter what the origins of our "neutrality" and its simliarites to the position taken by Salazar's Portugal (for example) it later proved to be what in can be yet :- a viable tradition which has always cried out for a properly articulated independent foreign policy & profile.


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from the Swedish Committe for Afghanistan website, English translation of their press releases.
Please note that "IMF" means "international military force" seemingly under ISAF control but what really matters was the national flags on the uniforms. They were of the USA:

On Wednesday evening September 2 at 10 pm coalition vehicles drove up at SCA’s Hospital in Shaniz, Wardak province along the main highway from Kabul to Ghazni. They entered the hospital compound, reportedly without giving any reason or justification for entering the hospital compound. They searched all rooms, even bathrooms, male and female wards. Rooms that were locked were forcefully entered and the doors of the malnutrition ward and the ultrasound ward were broken by force to gain entry. Upon entering the hospital they tied up four employees and two family members of patients at the hospital. SCA staffs as well as patients (even those in beds) were forced out of rooms/wards throughout the search.

On leaving the hospital at around 12 pm, IMF issued verbal "orders"/instructions; that on receiving any patient that could be an insurgent the hospital staff has to report to the Coalition Forces who would then determine if the hospital would be permitted or not of treating such patient.

“This is simply not acceptable. It is not only a clear violation of globally recognized humanitarian principles about the sanctity of health facilities and staff in areas of conflict but also a clear breach of the civil-military agreement between NGOs and ISAF. We demand guarantees from the IMF command that such violations will not be repeated and that this is made clear to commanders in the field. SCA can not and will not tolerate this kind of treatment by the IMF. Nor is the SCA bound by any orders from IMF regarding to whom treatment can be given” says Anders Fange, Country Director, SCA.

The hospital is located in an area where community acceptance is essential to the continued functioning and safety of the hospital and its staff. The hospital has faced a further intrusion on 13 July, when private security guards escorting a convoy came under attack from insurgents and sought shelter/treatment in a very aggressive manner in the hospital and proceeded to assault staff and damage property.

This latest incident comes at a time when a clinic in Paktika was attacked on 26 August by ANSF/IMF following reports of an alleged AOG commander inside. At issue, in addition to the safety of staff and patients, are perceptions amongst all parties as to the status of clearly marked hospital/medical facilities. When such facilities are no longer regarded with the sanctity which has previously been accorded, then hospitals merely become buildings and a legitimate arena to continue the conflict. Such intrusions have previously been recorded by both sides in the conflict.

For more information please contact:

Anders Fänge
Country Director SCA
+93-(0)700-299 288
anders.fange@sca.org.af
http://www.swedishcommittee.org/index.html

by Edward Horgan - Shannonwatch.org Mon Sep 07, 2009 10:40

Thanks for this informative report Iosaf.
Swedish neutrality has always been effective from a Swedish point of view, but always very pragmatic also from an altruistic and international point of view, to be point of being cynical. In World War II Sweden claimed neutrality throughout, yet was in clear breach of the Hague Convention on Neutrality by allowing large numbers of German troops to pass through Sweden on their way to and from Norway which the Germans had invaded and occupied. It also continued to supply Germany with iron ore, and was Germany's main supplier of Iron ore, vital for their tank building programme thoroughout the war. I met Carl Bildt in Bosnia in 1996, where he was European so-called "High-representative", effectively the international community's overlord of Bosnia, as this (so-called?) international community imposed a belated solution on the people of Bosnia that created three unviable sub-states, with an unworkable federal state structure above that.
There was a significant degree of arrogance and incompetence in the EU's and international community's approach to Bosnia, that is now very clearly visible also in Afghanistan, except to an even more disastrous degree.

see also report on International peace conference at Shannon airport on Sat 5 Sept 09
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/93943

by iosaf Sun Sep 06, 2009 16:03

I forgot to make it absolutely clear that regardless of the current presence of 500 Swedish soldiers under ISAF in the northern province (where the massacre occured this week) to which the Swedish foreign minister said "We ought be working with the Afghans not bombing them to bits", the hospital mission of the Swedish committee operates in the centre of the state due south of Kabul.

The head doctor Anders Fänge told "Dagens Nyeter" in telephone interview this afternoon how the US military had entered the hospital by force and searched both male and female wings. He not only nodded to the Geneva Conventions obliquely (by saying the violation was contrary to international principles and law) but specifically cited the Hippocratic Oath noting that his doctors must not refuse treatment to patients on grounds of political belief or ethnicity.

Dr Fange compared this incident to one in August when NATO Coalition forces bombed another hospital mission further into the war zone in the south of the state where US, Canadian and British troops "co-operate".