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Estonian Review E E S T I R I N G V a a D E VOLUME 16 NO 37 SEP 20 – 26, 2006

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Estonian Review E E S T I R I N G V a a D E VOLUME 16 NO 37 SEP 20 – 26, 2006 Estonian Review E E S T I R I N G V A A D E VOLUME 16 NO 37 SEP 20 – 26, 2006 TOP NEWS Toomas Hendrik Ilves Elected Estonian President Sep 23 - Socialist MEP Toomas Hendrik Ilves, 52, was elected Estonia's head of state for the next five years by the country’s electoral college. Ilves received 174 votes in a secret ballot, one more than the majority of 173 votes needed for a candidate to get elected by the 345-member body. The other candidate, incumbent President Arnold Rüütel, 78, received 162 votes. There was one invalid ballot and eight ballots were left blank. All 345 members of the electoral college registered for the vote and cast ballots. Toomas Hendrik Ilves, currently first vice- president of the European Parliament Committee on DOMESTIC NEWS Foreign Affairs, was born on Dec. 26, 1953 in Estonian PM Believes That Ilves Will Be Stockholm, Sweden, to where his family had fled the Soviet occupation. Uniter as President He grew up in the United States and was Sep 23 - The chairman of the Estonian Reform educated as a psychologist, attending and receiving Party, Prime Minister Andrus Ansip, said that he degrees from Columbia University and the University believes that Toomas Hendrik Ilves will emerge as of Pennsylvania and then working in academic a president who unites the people. positions. Besides that, the Reform Party believes that Ilves Ilves worked as analyst and researcher with will be a president promoting a positive image for Radio Free Europe in Munich, Germany, from 1984- Estonia abroad, Ansip said. 1988, and as head of the Estonian desk of Radio Free "We are happy that we were able to carry out the Europe from 1988-1993. will of the people," said Ansip in thanking the electors. After returning to Estonia and relinquishing "We have reason to be glad not so much because his US citizenship, Ilves served as Estonia's Toomas Hendrik Ilves was our candidate, but first and ambassador to the United States from 1993-1996. foremost because Estonia got a good president," he said. He became foreign minister in December 1996 and Ansip also said he was glad that civic society and served in that position until September 1998, at open political culture had triumphed and attempts to which point he began campaigning for the Moderates make them fail had not succeeded. (now the Estonian Social Democratic Party) in the parliamentary elections. Estonia's Ilves Says Election Result Was Not In March 1999, after the elections, he Surprise became foreign minister again, serving until 2002. He was member of the parliament from 2002-2004 Sep 23 - Toomas Hendrik Ilves, who was elected During 2001-2002 he was the leader of the president of Estonia for the next five years, said in Moderates. In 2004 Ilves was elected to the his remarks after the election that the outcome of European Parliament for the Estonian Social the vote did not come as a surprise. Democratic Party. He sits with the Party of European Ilves added that the outcome did not reflect the Socialists group. stance of the Estonian population, as recent public approval surveys had put his rating at between 65-70 percent. ESTONIAN REVIEW Yet no one should be disappointed with the (ISSN 1023-1951) election outcome since it is the result of a democratic Is issued by the process, said Ilves. Press and Information Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ilves added that as president he considers it his ISLANDI VÄLJAK 1, TALLINN, ESTONIA 15049 task to be a defender of the citizen and bring the state TEL +372 637 7600 back nearer to the citizen. The Estonian society is split FAX +372 637 7617 not along the lines of support for one or another Estonian Review is also available over the presidential candidate but along the view of citizens, he Internet at http://www.vm.ee said. To subscribe, please contact: [email protected] (Continues on page 8) PAET ATTENDS EU FOREIGN Middle East. He also voiced recognition of the activity of Abbas, saying it deserves international MINISTER’S WEEK IN THE support. FRAMEWORK OF UN GENERAL Apart from the unity government, financial ASSEMBLY aid to Palestine was talked about. The situation in the Middle East was the Estonia Wants To See More Active EU Role main topic also at the ministers' breakfast. The in Georgia, Moldova foreign policy chiefs found that reviving the peace Sep 23 - The European Union should adopt a process is of utmost importance. more active role in the search for solutions to Paet said that military solutions are the frozen conflicts in Georgia and Moldova, producing no result and that a political solution has Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet said in to be found by means of negotiations. New York. "Definitely the possible solutions to the issue Formin: Afghanistan Must Be Rebuilt by NATO, of the status of Kosovo cannot be brought over to EU and UN these regions," Paet said. Sep 22 - In rebuilding Afghanistan, NATO, the In regard to the frozen conflicts of Georgia European Union and the United Nations must and Moldova, both the EU and Russia expressed all work hand in hand, Estonian Foreign concern about future developments in these Minister Urmas Paet said after a meeting with conflicts, but differed on the reasons which had NATO colleagues in New York. caused the conflicts. The foreign policy chiefs expressed their The frozen conflicts in Georgia and Moldova concern at poppy-growing having increased almost were discussed in New York by the foreign ministers by half in Afghanistan this year and found that the of the EU and Russia, with matters related to the struggle against narcotics needs to be made much EU-Russia partnership agreement, the situation in more efficient. the Middle East, Sudan and Iraq as the other topics Paet emphasized that the problems of discussed. Afghanistan cannot be solved by military means In the view of the EU foreign policy chiefs alone. the new partnership agreement with Russia must be "It is necessary to create a working based on what has already been agreed as regards infrastructure, set up schools and hospitals," he the four common spaces. said. Paet took part in a foreign ministers meeting Paet observed that Afghanistan was one of of the EU and the United States, where the situation the target countries for Estonia in development in Russia, the humanitarian catastrophe in Sudan cooperation. Earlier this week Estonia dispatched a and talks on the status of Kosovo were talked about. diplomat to Afghanistan whose task is to specify the Speaking about the situation in Russia, the areas where Estonia could use most efficiently the foreign ministers paid attention also to the energy means it has allocated for development cooperation. policy of Russia, with the Estonian minister saying a In addition to the situation in Afghanistan, realistic approach to Russia's energy policy was the ministers discussed NATO enlargement and necessary and that energy resources could not be cooperation with partner countries from outside the used as a means of political pressure. alliance. A joint lunch of the foreign ministers of the EU, NATO and Switzerland took place during which Formin: NATO Should Make Invitations In the problems of Afghanistan and the Middle East 2008 were talked about. The EU foreign ministers also heard an overview by Martti Ahtisaari about the Sep 22 - At the NATO summit in 2008 talks on the status of Kosovo. invitations should be handed to those candidates who are ready to join the alliance, Formin: Palestine Unity Government an Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet said. Important Step toward Peace "Despite Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich's lukewarmness toward NATO, NATO must continue Sep 20 - The creation of a national unity cooperation with Ukraine," Paet said after a meeting government in Palestine will be an important of NATO foreign ministers in New York. "Ukraine is step on the path toward peace, Estonian too important to be written off. Speaking about the Foreign Minister Urmas Paet said in New York. alliance's partnership with countries which are not Paet, who attended a meeting of EU foreign members of NATO, Paet said: "Estonia favours ministers with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas flexible forms of cooperation and does not see a on the sidelines of the 61st session of the United direct need to automatically create new bodies." Nations General Assembly, expressed hope that At the same time, he did not rule out the Abbas will manage to find a way to put together a need to form new permanent cooperation structures, national unity government. saying however that "we should not start creating "We hope that a broad-based government cooperation forms that are half-artificial in order to will be formed on the basis of the criteria supported fill them with content only later." by the international community, which are Paet also said partner countries must be abandoning of weapons and violence, recognition of monitored to make sure they are observing NATO Israel, and fulfilment of the agreements signed so common values. far,” Paet said. He said it needs to be agreed how to behave The minister underlined that this would be with a country which has deviated from these an important step toward achieving peace in the values. Also discussed during the meeting was the Paet said the meeting also dealt with situation in Afghanistan. economic cooperation between the two countries and possible sharing of Estonia's reform experience. Formin: Unity of EU Important for Paet added that Macedonia has made Achieving US Visa Waiver progress in the fight against corruption, yet particular attention needs to be paid to reforming Sep 22 - In his remarks after a meeting with the court and police system and implementing the counterparts from the countries which are principles of law-based state.
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