Taking one for the OSCE team
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By Ville Similä
Boxer Amin Asikainen lost to Germany’s Khoren Gevor in a technical knock-out a week ago Friday.
It was possibly Asikainen’s last fight: at the age of 32, the former European Middleweight Champion is considering giving up the sport.
Taking a hit last Friday was Minister for Foreign Affairs Alexander Stubb (Nat. Coalition Party), age 40. Stubb tried to persuade the 56 participants at a meeting of the Ministerial Council of the OSCE to agree to a common declaration in Helsinki.
It wasn’t exactly a knock-out, but Stubb tried to hone the text, “one word here, one word there” so that everyone might sign the statement.
That took almost the entire night.
The fatigue began to come out at the Friday afternoon press conference. The Foreign Minister still had some Stubbesque jokes in his back pocket, even about the new bags that had appeared under his eyes - but his body no longer laughed along with the jokes.
It was a strange and slightly frightening sight: Alexander Stubb, not smirking.
At some point in the press conference, the floor was given to Greece’s Foreign Minister Theodora Bakoyannis, whom Stubb had handed a box of Sisu pastilles and the Chairmanship-in-Office of the OSCE.
Stubb took a sip of water and swished it around his mouth. He stretched his neck.
Bakoyannis spoke. Stubb glanced around the press room. His eyes moved even though his head stayed in place. It was slightly tilted back. His lips were open, but they did not smile.
The Foreign Minister was wearing a dark suit which was a perfect fit.
Otherwise one might have sworn that the man standing on the podium was a dazed boxer waiting for the bell to ring.
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 8.12.2008
VILLE SIMILÄ / Helsingin Sanomat
ville.simila@hs.fi
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| 9.12.2008 - THIS WEEK |
 Taking one for the OSCE team |
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