President Halonen: Hostilities must cease

The Arabic al-Jazeera TV channel interviewed President of the Republic of Finland Tarja Halonen in a live broadcast at the President’s official summer residence, Kultaranta, on August 2, 2006. The interview focused on the crisis in the Middle East. President Halonen said in the interview that the most important thing is for hostilities to cease in the Middle East region. She also mentioned that the EU is committed to the peace process aiming to put an end to the hostilities.

President of the Republic of Finland Tarja Halonen and Ahmed Mansour, a journalist of al-Jazeera.

On the question of whether international forces should be sent to the crisis zone, President Halonen said that a cease-fire and a political plan must first be achieved. She also emphasised the role of the United Nations Security Council in establishing peace.