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Finland's former president Martti Ahtisaari wins the Nobel Peace Prize
10/10/2008
Ahtisaari, 71, earned the honour for a long career of peace mediation work including a 2005 accord between Indonesia and rebels in its Aceh province.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee chose Martti Ahtisaari to receive the $1.4 million prize from a field of 197 nominees. Ahtisaari is the first Finn to ever win the prestigious Peace Prize.
"The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2008 to Martti Ahtisaari for his important efforts, on several continents and over more than three decades, to resolve international conflicts. These efforts have contributed to a more peaceful world and to fraternity between nations in Alfred Nobel's spirit," the committee said.
Ahtisaari's name had been mentioned in speculation leading up to the prize for his efforts in Europe, Africa and Asia. Among other things, he brokered a peace deal between rebels and the Indonesian government in Aceh province.
Ahtisaari served as president from 1994 to 2000. Upon leaving office, he founded an NGO called the Crisis Management Initiative, which he chairs.
Although Ahtisaari has been considered a favourite for the prize several times, the choice as this year's winner came as a considerable surprise. Favourites this year included Chinese dissidents Gao Zhisheng and Hu Jia, Vietnamese Buddhist leader Thich Quang Dota, and the US-based Human Rights Watch organisation.
Source: YLE News
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