Anna Lindh

Anna Lindh (June 19, 1957 – September 11, 2003) was a Swedish Social Democratic politician who served as Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1998 until her assassination.

Political career

Lindh was born in Enskede, a southeastern suburb of Stockholm, but grew up outside Enköping, where she became involved in politics at the age of twelve. As she joined the local branch of the Swedish Social Democratic Youth League, protesting against the Vietnam war was one of her top priorities.

Related Topics:
Enskede - Stockholm - Enköping - Swedish Social Democratic Youth League - Vietnam war

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Anna Lindh studied at Uppsala University and graduated as a Candidate of Law (jur. kand.) in 1982. The same year she was elected a Member of Parliament, the Riksdag. In 1984 she became the first woman president of the Swedish Social Democratic Youth League. Her six years as president were marked by a strong commitment to international affairs, for Nicaragua, Vietnam, South Africa and the Palestinians, and against the arms race.

Related Topics:
Uppsala University - Candidate of Law - 1982 - Riksdag - 1984 - Nicaragua - Vietnam - South Africa - Palestinian

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She served as a Member of Parliament until 1985, and again from 1998. From 1991 to 1994 she was Deputy Mayor of Stockholm, responsible for culture. In 1994, following a Social Democratic election victory, the new Prime Minister of Sweden Ingvar Carlsson made her Minister for the Environment. One of her legacies is her pioneering work towards a European Union legislation on hazardous chemical substances. She also urged for the establishment of a common EU strategy against acidification.

Related Topics:
1985 - 1998 - Prime Minister of Sweden - Ingvar Carlsson - European Union

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Following the general election in 1998, Göran Persson appointed Lindh to succeed Lena Hjelm-Wallén as Minister for Foreign Affairs in the new Government. Having made influential friends across the world during her time at the helm of the Swedish Social Democratic Youth League, Anna Lindh was an ardent supporter of international cooperation, both through the United Nations and in the European Union.

Related Topics:
General election - Göran Persson - Lena Hjelm-Wallén - United Nations

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A high point in her career came during the Swedish Presidency of the European Union during the first half of 2001, when she was Chairman of the Council of the European Union, carrying the responsibilities of representing the official foreign policy position for the European Union as a whole. Travelling with the EU foreign and security policy spokesman Javier Solana in Macedonia during the Kosovo/Macedonian crisis, she negotiated an agreement that averted a civil war in the country.

Related Topics:
Presidency of the European Union - 2001 - Javier Solana - Macedonia

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Lindh criticised the 2003 invasion of Iraq, commenting that "a war being fought without support in the statutes of the United Nations is a major failure". She also advocated greater respect for international law and human rights in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, criticising Ariel Sharon's government in Israel, but also condemning Palestine suicide bombings as "atrocities". In a January 30, 2003 speech, she called on Israel to "end the occupation, give up settlements, and agree on a pragmatic solution to Jerusalem" and on the Palestinians to "do everything in their power to stop the terrorist acts, and take legal measures against those responsible" and to "produce reform, for security, but also for democracy and human rights".

Related Topics:
2003 invasion of Iraq - Israeli-Palestinian conflict - Ariel Sharon - Israel - January 30 - 2003

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Anna Lindh was generally seen as one of the prime candidates to succeed Göran Persson as President of the Social Democrats and Prime Minister of Sweden. In the final weeks of her life, she was intensely involved in the pro-Euro campaign preceding the Swedish referendum on the Euro, held on September 14, 2003, only three days after her death. One of the most popular politicians on the pro-Euro side, she was used as a front person, her face on billboards all over Sweden the day she was attacked and murdered.

Related Topics:
Göran Persson - Prime Minister of Sweden - Euro - September 14 - 2003

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