Brussels/Budapest - The European Union and NATO on Friday joined the chorus of international praise for Martti Ahtisaari, singling out his successful diplomacy in Namibia and describing him as "an outstanding laureate."EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said "the long and successful record in the service of the international community" made the former Finnish president a truly deserving winner of this year's Nobel Peace Prize.
"In the European Union and in the European Commission, we have the highest respect for President Ahtisaari, with whom we have had an excellent cooperation," Barroso said.
The EU's foreign policy representative, Javier Solana, said Ahtisaari "stands out on the international stage as one of the great diplomats and mediators of our time."
Solana pointed to his key role in helping Namibia move towards independence and to his efforts in Aceh, Indonesia and the Balkans.
Ahtisaari also received kudos from North Atlantic Treaty Organization Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, who recalled first meeting the diplomat while working as an elections observer in Namibia.
"He is the definition of the respected elder statesman, and I think no one could be more deserving of this award than Martti Ahtisaari," the NATO chief said on the sidelines of a defence ministers' meeting in Budapest.
