JERUSALEM: Finnish President Tarja Halonen meets with Israeli leaders after arriving in the Middle East for a four-day visit

Record ID: 397073

  • Title: JERUSALEM: Finnish President Tarja Halonen meets with Israeli leaders after arriving in the Middle East for a four-day visit
  • Date: 13th October 2010
  • Summary: HALONEN AND PERES WATCHING HALONEN HALONEN AND PERES INSPECTING THE HONOUR GUARD HONOUR GUARD WITH FLAGS
  • Embargoed: 28th October 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVA1170GAX92GQR5X452AU7XBKB6
  • Story Text: Finnish President Tarja Halonen met on Tuesday (October 12) with her Israeli counterpart Shimon Peres in his Jerusalem residence, as part of a four-day-visit to the region.
    Halonen was welcomed to the presidential residence with an official ceremony.
    "Well, really for me, and for my country, it's a privilege to have you here as our guest. We have the highest respect for Finland, a country that suffers from the cold weather but enjoys warm hearted people," Peres said during his welcoming speech.
    Halonen said how important peace was for the whole Mediterranean region.
    "Last year I paid a visit to Egypt and to Syria and as we then announced we will then continue this year with Jordan, Israel and also meet the Palestinian Authorities. We know that sustainable peace would be the key for many issues here in the Middle East, not only for Israelis and Palestinians but to the whole Middle East region and Mediterranean region," the Finnish president said.
    Later on Tuesday, the Finish leader met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his Jerusalem residence.
    Halonen is expected to visit the Israeli Holocaust museum of Yad Vashem, where she will lay a wreath over a crypt containing ashes of some of the six million Jews murdered by the Nazis in World War Two.
    During her visit, Halonen will also visit the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, and travel to the West bank city of Ramallah.
    On the sidelines of the presidential visit, Finnish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alexander Stubb, held a work meeting with his Israeli counterpart Avigdor Lieberman. The Israeli foreign minister, head of Netanyahu's biggest coalition partner Yisrael Beiteinu, made headlines in recent days for angering French Minister of Foreign Affairs Bernard Kouchner and Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Moratinos. Israeli media reported that the European ministers were furious over the leaking of the content of a conversation they had with Lieberman, in which the Israeli minister told them to "solve their own problems in Europe before coming to Israel with complaints". Israeli media quoted an Israeli source who said the ministers accused Lieberman of "violating every rule of diplomatic etiquette."
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