Nobel Peace laureate Martti Ahtisaari makes appeal for peace in Middle East

Solemn ceremony in Oslo on Wednesday

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In a lecture delivered in Oslo after receiving this year’s Nobel Peace Prize on Wednesday, former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari made a direct appeal to US President-elect Barack Obama.
      “I hope that the new President of the United States, who will be sworn in next month, will give high priority to the Middle East conflict during his first year in office”.
      In his lecture, Ahtisaari also proclaimed that the conflict, which has gone on for decades, is the most challenging that exists.
      “The tensions and wars in the region have been going on for so long that many have come to believe that the Middle East knot can never be untied”, he said.
      “The credibility of the whole international community is at stake. We cannot go on, year after year, simply pretending to do something to help the situation in the Middle East. We must also get results.”
     
The ceremony in Oslo’s City Hall was a solemn event.
      Ole Danbolt Mjøs, chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, recounted Ahtisaari’s achievements over the decades, singling out the conflicts in Namibia, Aceh, and Kosovo for special attention. As a result of his efforts to achieve independence for Namibia, Ahtisaari was named honorary citizen of that country.
      Mjøs noted that many boys in Namibia have been given the name Martti, which, he said, must be as great an honour as getting the Nobel Peace Prize.
     
Wednesday’s events followed a very tight schedule.
      In the morning, Ahtisaari gave interviews in his hotel. He also visited King Haarald and met children on the streets along with Princess Mette.Marit.
      In spite of the busy day, Ahtisaari arrived at Oslo’s City Hall exactly on time, with the fanfare playing at 12:56.
      At the beginning of his lecture Ahtisaari noted that he himself was a child affected by war.
      “I was only two years old when, as a result of an agreement on spheres of interest between Hitler’s Germany and Stalin’s Soviet Union, war broke out, forcing my family to leave soon thereafter the town of Viipuri [Vyborg]. Like several hundred thousand fellow Karelians, we became refugees in our own country as great power politics caused the borders of Finland to be redrawn and left my home town as part of the Soviet Union.”
      “This childhood experience contributed to my commitment to working on the resolution of conflicts.”
     
Ahtisaari urged rich countries to maintain foreign aid programmes in spite of the current economic crisis.
      “If the present trend continues, we will be faced with a situation where hundreds of millions of young people will be out of work in countries that are in early stages of development. If nothing is done, we will be creating an effective breeding ground for crime, instability and war as young people lose all hope.”
      “I believe that the fight against poverty is also the most effective measure of countering terrorism in the long term.”
     
Ole Danbolt Mjøs pointed out that the Nobel Committee has granted prizes to mediators before, including Theodore Roosevelt, Kofi Annan, and Jimmy Carter.
      He added that Ahtisaari belongs to a special group of mediators, who have given decisive input on behalf of peace and reconciliation in the world.
      After the ceremony, Ahtisaari appeared in a live interview with CNN. Later he stood on the balcony of the Grand Hotel to watch a torchlight parade by citizens of Oslo.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Martti Ahtisaari wins 2008 Nobel Peace Prize (10.10.2008)
  Nobel Peace Prize winner Martti Ahtisaari speaks of double standards in peace work (10.12.2008)
  Commemorative stamp has Ahtisaari’s face wrong way around (9.12.2008)
  Martti Ahtisaari receives UNESCO Peace Prize (3.10.2008)

See also:
  Blessed are the peacemakers (12.10.2008)

Links:
  Martti Ahtisaari’s Nobel lecture (Crisis Management Initiative website)

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