Sweden, Israel quarrel over military exercise pull-out

The Swedish foreign ministry said on Wednesday that the Spring Flag air exercises in Sardinia on May 8-25 "have been organised for peacekeeping operations and we don't want to take part because of Israel's participation".

The nine countries due to participate -- Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Norway and Sweden -- were to train together for future collaboration in international peacekeeping operations.

But Israel is unlikely to be involved in any such peacekeeping operations, the foreign ministry said, calling into question the need for the exercises.

On Thursday, the Israeli embassy in Stockholm condemned the Swedish decision.

"If Sweden cannot take part in a peacekeeping exercise because Israel participates in it, then we can hardly see Sweden take part in peacemaking in our region," the embassy said in a statement.

It also criticised Stockholm for approving a forthcoming visit by members of the Palestinian Islamic movement Hamas, at the invitation of Swedish associations.

But Prime Minister Goeran Persson told journalists that drawing a parallel between the exercises and the planned Hamas visit was "deeply wrong and offensive".

The government was not planning to meet the Hamas officials, he said.

Earlier in the day, a high-ranking Israeli official told AFP that Sweden's attitude was "incomprehensible" and would "not contribute to peace in the region".

Sweden's new foreign minister, Jan Eliasson, tried to play down the quarrel, saying it had blown up to "larger proportions than it deserves".

"There is no reason to dramatise. This has nothing to do with our relations with Israel, which we wish to preserve and develop," he told the TT news agency. He said the Swedish decision was strictly based on the country's "exercise needs".

The F17 air base in Blekinge, southern Sweden, was due to represent the Scandinavian country in the exercises but had "received orders from military headquarters" to pull out, F17 spokesman Kent Loewing told AFP.

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