EJP | News | Israeli concern over Sweden air force exercise snub

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Israeli concern over Sweden air force exercise snub

Updated: 30/Apr/2006 17:21

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The director general of the Israeli foreign ministry has said comments by the Swedish Ambassador to Israel explaining why Sweden pulled out of an upcoming NATO international air force exercise were “disgusting and unacceptable”.

Sweden has publicly admitted that it has withdrawn from the Volcanex 2006 exercise, due to begin in Italy next month, in protest against Israel's participation.

Ambassador Robert Rydberg had told DG Ron Prosser that Sweden had "technical and financial" reasons for dropping out of the exercise, and pointed out that Israel and Sweden had never participated in the same peacekeeping exercise.

The furore began after Swedish Defense Minister Leni Bjorklund said that her country was withdrawing from the exercise, because "the Swedish Armed Forces were notified at a late stage that a state not belonging to the Partnership for Peace, and with which Sweden did not previously have bilateral military cooperation and which does not take part in international peacekeeping missions, was to take part in the air exercise."

A Swedish Foreign Ministry official was then quoted as specifying that it was Israeli participation that was the problem

"The point of the operation is to prepare for international cooperation in preserving world peace. The participation of the Israeli air force changes the prerequisites of the drill," the official said.

Ambassador summoned

When news of the decision reached Israel Rydberg was summoned by Israel's foreign ministry to explain his country's position.

Prosser is believed to have told Rydberg that those countries which did not regard Israel as a legitimate peacekeeping force should not be surprised if they are not viewed by Israel as a legitimate player in the Middle East peace process.

According to Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz, one Israeli MK (parliament member) called the decision anti-Semitic. National Religious Party Chairman MK Zevulun Orlev, said: "Just a day after the commemoration of Holocaust Remembrance Day, an enlightened nation has risen and surrendered to the Islamic axis of evil."

Hamas visa concern

Rydebrg was also questioned over reports that Sweden will be the first European country to grant visas to Hamas officials, which would give the terror group a legitimacy not granted by the rest of Europe.

The Swedish envoy admitted that Hamas had applied for visas and they had not been granted.

“We do make a connection between these two events and are concerned with Sweden's positions on them,” the Israeli Embassy in Stockholm said in a statement.

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