Ahtisaari was the first senior Western politician to meet Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic since NATO started its bombing campaign in March to force Yugoslavia to give autonomy to Kosovo Albanians. He also proved to be the right man to help persuade Milosevic to accept NATO's tough terms for a Kosovo peace deal.

Ahtisaari emerged as the West's ideal representative thanks to Finland's neutral status, friendly ties with Russia and his unstinting support for NATO goals in Kosovo.

Ahtisaari is no stranger to the diplomatic swirl around the Balkans: In 1993, he was special representative of the U.N. Secretary General for former Yugoslavia.

Ahtisaari maybe an international hero if the Kosovo peace plan succeeds, but in Finland, his diplomatic past has been used against him by foes who say he is out of touch with ordinary Finns.

In a unprecedented decision last month, the ruling Social Democrats, whom he represented in the 1994 vote, wriggled out of nominating him as their candidate for the 2000 election.

Instead, they chose Foreign Minister Tarja Halonen, a former pacifist, who has been uneasy about Ahtisaari's firm support for NATO and is skeptical about common European defense.