Word: kekkonens
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Though it sounds like a rural rail route, the Paasikivi-Kekkonen Line is in fact the name of the foreign policy that has guided Finland since World War II: seeking accommodation with its mighty eastern neighbor, the Soviet Union. In pursuit of this policy, Finnish President Urho Kaleva Kekkonen, 69, flew to Moscow last week for the 16th time since he became Finland's head of state in 1956. This week, in keeping with his country's enduring but slightly off-balance neutrality, he will make his second state visit to the U.S. to discuss such matters...
Last week Swedish Prime Minister Tage Erlander, a major supporter of Nordek, met at his country estate with President Urho Kekkonen and Prime Minister Mauno Koivisto of Finland. Their decision-to push ahead with the year-old negotiations to bring Nordek into being-reflected a realization that, despite Charles de Gaulle's departure, Europe is far from becoming one grand market...
...Recently Rumania, Yugoslavia, West Germany and Austria have all received the treatment. This time it was Finland's turn. On the same day that Izvestia charged that West Germany was menacing Finland, who should arrive for a three-day visit but Soviet Premier Aleksei Kosygin. Afterward President Urho Kekkonen tried to reassure the Finns that the Russian premier had come only to allay any Finnish uneasiness...
...Zero Treks. The war took a heavy toll. Finland lost 115,000 men (nearly 3% of its population), also had to pay Russia huge reparations and cede part of its land. The losses taught Finland a lesson. President Urho Kekkonen, now serving his eleventh year in that post, realized that his country must retain the favor of its Soviet neighbor. While this has not meant alliance with the Soviets, it has led to a neutrality that slightly favors them. Kekkonen keeps up his ties with the Russians; few men can boast of having established personal relationships with Stalin, Khrushchev, Kosygin...
There is no doubt that next year Kekkonen will seek a third six-year presidential term-and win easily. Although 66, he. is still a vigorous athlete, sometimes skiing 500 miles in sub-zero weather on a week's trek. His long tenure has provided stability to an otherwise chaotic political scene; Finland has had 50 different governments in 50 years. One reason for the current stability is that Kekkonen has encouraged the Communists to take part in the Finnish Cabinet. Although it consistently polled one-quarter of the votes in Finland's postwar elections, the Communist Party...