Religions themselves are... peace-loving. They can also be a constructive force in peace-building, and this also applies to the Middle East. Martti Ahtisaari More Quotes by Martti Ahtisaari More Quotes From Martti Ahtisaari All conflicts can be resolved. Wars and conflicts are not inevitable. They are caused by human beings. There are always interests that are furthered by war. Therefore those who have power and influence can also stop them. Peace is a question of will. Martti Ahtisaari influence being-there war There is a lot of hard work that needs to be done Martti Ahtisaari hard-work done needs To protect women in times of war, we must first make sure women receive equal rights in times of peace. Martti Ahtisaari rights war firsts The progress has to start now. Martti Ahtisaari progress I think it's a disgrace for the international community that we have allowed so many conflicts to become frozen, and we are not making a serious effort to solve them. Martti Ahtisaari effort community thinking It's very important to be able to act properly. You need financing, and you never have enough. Martti Ahtisaari able important needs You have to be rather straightforward with your clients. You can't tell the parties only nice things. This is not an entertainment show; it's not reality television either. Martti Ahtisaari party nice reality There are certain standards, like the protection of minorities and the improvement in their lives that have to be improved now. Martti Ahtisaari protection minorities improvement The views of the Contact Group member-states must be taken seriously, as well as the guidelines set out in their document on Kosovo, which clearly says that the province should not be divided. Martti Ahtisaari groups taken views The ability of the countries within the region to cooperate and establish good-neighborly relations ... will be an important criterion for evaluating their prospects of full integration with the European Union. Martti Ahtisaari unions important country Mediators do not choose the conflicts they became involved in, but the parties to the conflict choose the mediator. Their participation as intermediaries is based on the trust of all the conflicting parties. Martti Ahtisaari choose participation conflict trust The task of the mediator is to help the parties to open difficult issues and nudge them forward in the peace process. The mediator's role combines those of a ship's pilot, consulting medical doctor, midwife and teacher. Martti Ahtisaari doctor medical teacher peace Like several hundred thousand fellow Karelians, we became refugees in our own country as great power politics caused the borders of Finland to be redrawn and left my home town as part of the Soviet Union. Martti Ahtisaari great politics power home No country's policies are eternal; they do vary. People are growing old, and a new generation is coming to power. In a year's time, a government can look different. You can't influence them if you don't talk to them. Martti Ahtisaari you power time people In the last year of my presidency, I travelled 200 days out of 365. You have to lead a very disciplined life. To be able to do that, I need a lot of sleep. But I have no problems sleeping. On long days, I can easily take a nap for 20 minutes in the afternoon. Martti Ahtisaari you sleep life long I have no superhuman powers. If people don't want to make peace, there is nothing I can do. Martti Ahtisaari nothing i-can peace people The only people that can make peace are the parties to the conflict, and just as they are responsible for the conflict and its consequences, so should they be given responsibility and recognition for the peace. Martti Ahtisaari conflict responsibility peace people The mere fact that I'm former head of state and former under-secretary in the U.N. system, it means that I can get in touch with anybody in the world, in theory. Martti Ahtisaari head touch i-can world You need to carry out very careful pre-feasibility and feasibility studies before you enter any crisis situation. Martti Ahtisaari need you situation crisis The origins of my career as a peace mediator can be found from my childhood years. I was born in the city of Viipuri, then still part of Finland. We lost Viipuri when the Soviet Union attacked my country. Along with 400,000 fellow Karelians, I became an eternally displaced person in the rest of Finland. Martti Ahtisaari rest city childhood peace
