Obama receives Nobel Peace Prize

Obama receives Nobel Peace Prize

Obama receives the Nobel Peace Prize days after increasing the number of troops in Afghanistan [AFP] Barack Obama, the US president, has accepted the Nobel Peace Prize while acknowledging his role as commander in chief of a country involved in two wars. Speaking at a ceremony in Oslo, Norway's capital, on Thursday, Obama said he received the award "with an acute sense of the cost of armed conflict", referring to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. "I am the commander in chief of the military, of the nation in the midst of two wars. One of these wars is winding down. The other is a conflict that America did not seek," he said. "Still, we are at war. I'm responsible for the deployment of thousands of young Americans. Some will kill and some will be killed." The president said he accepted the prize with "deep gratitude and humility" and paid tribute to those who had been jailed or tortured in the pursuit of justice as "far more deserving of this honour". Controversial nominee Obama received the award for his "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy". The Nobel committee announced its decision in October, when Obama had barely carried out nine months in office, recognising his aspirations to reshape the way the US deals with the world more than his actual achievements. In depth Afghans angry at Obama's Nobel win Controversy over Obama's Nobel peace prize award Obama was seen as a controversial nominee for the award because of the United States' engagement in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Todd Kent, a US government professor at the Texas A&M University in Qatar, told Al Jazeera that Obama had not expected to receive the award. "He didn't expect it, he didn't ask for it, so I think it was difficult for him and I think they spent a lot of time trying to downplay the whole award." Many critics have suggested that Obama has not had a long enough or successful enough period in office to stand with other Nobel peace laureates, but aides say the president will seek to deflect attention from himself during his acceptance speech. Obama will be in Oslo for just over 24 hours to pick up the award, and will join a list of laureates that include Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa and Aung San Suu Kyi. Events related to the formal Nobel Peace Prize ceremony normally run over three days, but the president has shortened his visit and excluded the traditional lunch with the king and a Friday night concert in his honour. Obama will watch the traditional torchlight procession on Thursday evening from the balcony of the Grand Hotel, where bullet-proof glass has been installed. Other Nobel laureates in the fields of medicine, physics, chemistry, economics and literature will receive their awards at a gala ceremony in Stockholm, the Swedish capital, on Thursday.

Source: Agencies