Ahtisaari awarded 2008 Nobel peace prize

Former Finnish president and IRA weapons inspector Martti Ahtisaari has been awarded 2008 Nobel peace prize for his peace mediation work.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee said Mr Ahtisaari was being recognised "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 in announcing the €1 million prize. 

Mr Ahtisaari's efforts in Africa, Europe, Asia and the Middle East drew much praise from the five-member committee.

"For the past 20 years, he has figured prominently in endeavours to resolve several serious and long-lasting conflicts," the citation said, mentioning his work in conflicts from Namibia and Aceh to Kosovo and Iraq.

“He has also made constructive contributions to the resolution of conflicts in Northern Ireland, in Central Asia, and on the Horn of Africa,” the citation said.

Mr Ahtisaari (71), who was selected out of a field of 197  candidates, said he “was very pleased and grateful”.

Asked on Norwegian radio which he felt was his biggest achievement, he said: "Naturally Namibia was absolutely the most important because it took such a long time" to reach independence. He also mentioned work in Indonesia's Aceh province and the Balkans.

Mr Ahtisaari was president of Finland from 1994 and 2000 before being appointed by the British government in 2000 to the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning to oversee IRA arms.

He also worked on mediating a 2005 accord between Indonesia and rebels in its Aceh province. His most recent appointment was as UN Special Envoy at the Kosovo status process negotiations.

Mr Ahtisaari's work also included chairing an independent panel on the security and safety of United Nations personnel in Iraq. 

"Throughout his entire adult life, Ahtisaari has worked endlessly to solve several long-lasting conflicts,'' said Ole Danbolt Mjoes, chairman of the five-member Norwegian Nobel Committee. "He's an outstanding international mediator. His efforts and achievements have demonstrated the important role of mediation in solving international conflicts.''

Mr Ahtisaari has been awarded honorary doctorates by 19 universities around the world and received UNESCO's peace prize earlier this month.

Mr Ahtisaari also founded the Crisis Management Initiative (CMI), an independent, non-governmental organisation for developing and sustaining peace in troubled areas.

The prize will be handed over in Oslo on December 10th, the anniversary of the death in 1896 of Swedish inventor and philanthropist Alfred Nobel who created the awards.

Additional reporting: AP, Reuters