Martti Ahtisaari
MARTTI AHTISAARI is a deserving recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, awarded yesterday for his long-standing work as a mediator and broker of settlements in Africa, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
His characteristic qualities of doggedness, perseverance, fairness and bluntness were combined with guile and vision in Namibia and Aceh especially. In Namibia, he proved able to play a long diplomatic and political game, which eventually paid off when circumstances changed in South Africa, where the apartheid regime determined the pace of events. Aceh was a shorter involvement, but just as intractable. His consistent refusal to contemplate complete independence put him onside with the Indonesians, which then allowed him to insist on a deep autonomy that proved acceptable to the rebel movements. Over 15,000 died in that conflict, and settling it so comprehensively was a major achievement.