Ahtisaari Mentioned as Potential EU President
2008 Nobel Peace Prize winner, former President Martti Ahtisaari.
Image: YLE
Several prominent foreign sources have touted Nobel Laureate and former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari as a strong candidate for the president of the European Union.
The new EU post comes into force with other reforms laid out in the Treaty of Lisbon.
Recently both the New York Times and a columnist for the Economist speculated that Ahtisaari could be on the short list of successful candidates. Their lists also include former Finnish Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen
Both publications, however, put former British premier Tony Blair at the top of the list.
Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen says he's not surprised that Ahtisaari's name has come up.
"The speculation is perfectly understandable," says Vanhanen. "His name is well known and well respected, and he's in fine form. But none of my colleagues have asked me anything about it. This is speculation on behalf of the papers."
The Social Democratic MP Eero Heinäluoma, a member of the Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee, says Finland should be upfront in its support of both Lipponen and Ahtisaari.
"I think it would be totally justified for the government to make a clear statement that Finland is offering these two names for the first post of EU president," says Heinäluoma. "We have two options. Former Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen looks like he has strong support from Germany and France, and it would also be justified to make it clear that we'll also back Ahtisaari if he gains support."
YLE