Martti Ahtisaari, Former President of Finland, Receives 2000 Fulbright Prize for International Understanding he Fulbright Association awarded the 2000 J. William Fulbright Prize for T International Understanding to Martti Ahtisaari, president of the Republic of Finland from 1994 to 2000, on December 1 at a ceremony at the International Trade Center. The prize, which carries a $50,000 cash award, is made possible by a grant from The Coca-Cola Foundation. (continued on page 12) Martti Ahtisaari diplomat for more than 30 years Africa, playing a key role in ensuring a special representative for the former and president of Finland from smooth transition through free and fair Yugoslavia. A 1994 to 2000, Martti Ahtisaari elections. In appreciation, the Namibian In February 1994 Martti Ahtisaari has served as peacemaker in some of government made President Ahtisaari became the first directly-elected the world's most troubled areas. His an honorary citizen. president of the Republic of Finland. commitments to strengthening civil President Ahtisaari assumed the During his tenure as president, he led society, extending democratic practices, position of secretary of state in the Finland's entry into the European Union and furthering peaceful cooperation Ministry for Foreign Affairs of and took an active role in and coexistence have repeatedly led Finland's foreign and security policy. Since leaving office in foreignseek his governmentsaid in resolving to ~ February 2000, President -----------~-~-~==------Ahtisaari has continued his difficult and violent n-t:A rr.,(C....f..a lit Jtssociation conflicts. 'Lr!K- J 1,,1,W1 v peacemaking efforts. In May the Martti Oiva Kalevi is proudto present British government appointed Ahtisaari was born on him to the team overseeing the June 23, 1937, in the city of r.. prize inspections of IRA weapons Viipuri. He graduated from rre.,.J. Wi{{iam r u{6rigrd . dumps in Northern Ireland. the University of Oulu in 1959 "LfU:- -1--1ona{'llnferstanding This summer the European and joined the Ministry for f na1,1, UA Court of Human Rights asked Foreign Affairs of Finland in or Inter President Ahtisaari to 1965. President Ahtisaari held participate in a review of the various posts in the Ministry's to Austrian government's record Bureau for Technical Co­ on human rights. operation from 1965 to 1972 President Ahtisaari and held the position of deputy serves in leadership roles director, Department for Martti5'1.htisaari in several international International Development institutions and Co-operation, the following year. Presidentof the'R_?pu6{ic of 1in!and' foundations. He is co­ He went on to serve as chairman of the EastWest ambassador of Finland to the 1994-2000 Institute and serves as a United Republic of Tanzania and member of the joint was also accredited to Zambia, advisors' group for the Somalia, and Mozambique. Open Society Institute and In 1977 Martti Ahtisaari vecember1, 2000 the Soros Foundation. He became United Nations chairs the Balkan Youth commissioner for Namibia and and Children Foundation in 1978 was appointed special In recognitionof • and the Global representative of the secretary- t Commission of the general for Namibia. When his fiiscontri6utions O . International Youth term as commissioner came to an f fie ·ngmutua[ uncferstancfrng Foundation, as well as end, he returned to Helsinki to J urt n [es the international board serve in the Ministry for Foreign amongpeop of the War-Torn Affairs. The UN called upon President Ahtisaari once again in L----------~-------:=~:::Societiesalso a member Project. of Hethe is 1987, when he was appointed under Board of Directors of the International secretary-general for administration Institute for Democracy and Electoral and management. He retained the Finland in 1991. The following year, he Assistance. Through these activities, title of special representative of the was named chairman of the Bosnia­ President Ahtisaari maintains his secretary-general for Namibia Herzegovina Working Group of the commitment to improving the throughout this time and led the UN' s International Conference on the international community's ability to Transition Assistance Group in Namibia Former Yugoslavia. He also served as prevent crisis and conflict. from 1989 to 1990. President Ahtisaari special adviser to the International President Ahtisaari is married helped to supervise Namibia's move Conference on the Former Yugoslavia to Eeva Ahtisaari . They have one toward independence from South and to the UN secretary-general's son, Marko. 2 Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott Honors President Ahtisaari efore offering a few comments West-or, to put it differently, about your guest of honor, let me between Russia and the rest of Bpay homage to the American Europe-on the issue of what it would statesman in whose name and memory take to end the bombing of we're extending that honor-the late Yugoslavia. Once they had done so, J. William Fulbright. For many of us they became the ultimate tag team­ who came of age at a time when Mr. Hammer and Mr. Anvil, we called America's role in the world was an them-and as such, they went up issue of difficult, often divisive debate, against the Butcher of the Balkans. To at home and abroad, Senator Fulbright make a long story short, they pinned was, quite simply, a hero. To many, his ears back. including President Bill Clinton, I'm referring, of course, to he was also a mentor. Slobodan Milosevic. You all I'd like also to add my own remember him, I assume: he used to be acknowledgement of the presence here the president of Yugoslavia (and what a this morning of two other superb pleasure it is to use that verb tense). statesmen-one, Don McHemy, who The Hammer-and-Anvil duo served this nation in the executive persuaded Milosevic that there was branch, and the other, Lee Hamilton­ nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, like Senator Fulbright-who served it nothing to do but to withdraw all Serb President Martti Ahtisaari and Deputy in the legislative branch. The former is forces from Kosovo and permit the Secretaryof State Strobe Talbott. a good friend whom I've come to call hundreds of thousands of refugees to "Don;" the latter is a good friend whom return to their homes under the indispensable role not just in bringing I will always call "Mr. Chairman." protection of a UN-authorized, peace to the Balkans but in doing so in In his leadership on the House NATO-led, international force. a way that preserved the sometimes Foreign Affairs Committee, as the chair The latest version of the story is in precarious but strategically vital through 1994 and as the ranking President Ahtisaari' s new book, Tetava goal of Russia's integration into the minority member from 1995 until 1998, Belgradeesa,which I very much look new Europe. Congressman Hamilton set a high forward to reading once it exists in a I believe President Ahtisaari was standard of good sense, tough­ language I can understand. But I can able to succeed in this prodigy of mindedness, far-sightedness and already, with confidence, offer the diplomacy for three reasons. First and civility of discourse; he has carried all following indisputable mini-review­ foremost because of his personal those qualities over to his new job at a sort-of anti-blurb: President qualities and convictions. Second, the Woodrow Wilson Center-and to Ahtisaari' s book is not the last word on because he drew on his many years of his latest chairmanship, of the Fulbright the subject. Why? Because it's too experience as a creative peacemaker in Prize Selection Committee, which has modest; it doesn't do justice to the Bosnia and in Africa, where, I am honored itself and, indeed, the United hero of the story; it understates the reliably told, many young Namibians States in choosing Martti Ahtisaari as author's fortitude, ingenuity, and skill proudly bear the name Martti. (Perhaps the 2000 Fulbright Prize recipient. in cracking heads-and that means I should leave it to President Ahtisaari President Ahtisaari, too, is a hero. I Russian heads, Yugoslav heads, to clarify exactly how that came to be.) regard it as one of the great privileges German heads, and, once or twice, an And last but not least, because he was of my life to have been in harness with American head to which I'm able to draw upon his special moral and him during the spring and early personally quite attached. political authority as the head of state of summer of 1999, when he and Viktor You know, Mr. President, I Finland, a nation that has demonstrated, Chernomyrdin joined in one of the suppose we could rely on General especially since the end of the cold war, most unusual, arduous, consequential, Ivashov to do full justice to the that it has an exemplary and salutary and successful diplomatic ventures of adventure we shared in his own book, role to play in the world. our time or of any other time. which is also just out; but I may Under his leadership, Finland Here's how I'd summarize it. First, actually have to tell the story myself leveraged its position in the emerging the Ahtisaari-Chernomyrdin team someday, just to make sure that you security and economic structures of closed the gap between Russia and the get the credit you deserve for your Europe to do good while doing well; he (continued on page 4) 3 Strobe Talbott's Remarks Ambassador Donald F. McHenry (continuedfrom page 3) personally enhanced his country's Presents "Tribute" international standing and effectiveness, improved the Baltic­ to Martti Ahtisaari Nordic neighborhood and gave the world as a whole a model of how t is indeed my pleasure to appear here in several capacities, the first globalization can and should work.