NORWAY: Former US president, Mr Jimmy Carter issued a powerful anti-war plea yesterday after receiving the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo. "War may sometimes be a necessary evil but no matter how necessary, it is always evil, never a good," the new Peace Laureate stated in his acceptance speech, writes Orla Clinton.
Mr Carter added "we will never learn how to live together in peace by killing each other's children. The bonds of our common humanity is stronger than the divisiveness of our fears and prejudices."
He told the assembled guests including many family members, colleagues from the Carter Center and numerous politicians "that global challenges must be met with an emphasis on peace and strong alliances . . . and imperfect as it may be there is no doubt that this can be done through the UN".
Quoting fellow American Ralph Bunches he said: "To suggest that war can prevent war is a despicable form of war mongering. The real objective of any who sincerely believe in peace is to exhaust every honourable recourse in the efforts to save peace".
The awarding of the peace prize to Carter was initially seen as a rebuke to the policies of President Bush. However, the Leader of the Nobel Committee, Mr Gunnar Berge said Mr Carter was more than a worthy prize-winner.
He mentioned the 1978 prize which was shared between the former then Egyptian president Mr Anwar Sadat and Israeli prime minister Mr Menachin Begin. Mr Carter had brokered the Camp David Accords between the two leaders and many felt he should have also been honoured. However, he had not been nominated that year.
Mr Carter was selected "for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development". The former president has been active in peace efforts in Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. He founded the Carter Center, a peace institute to which he has donated the prize money of $1 million.
Mr Carter who was president from 1977 to 1981 said the world had changed since he left the White House.
"Now there is only one super power with unprecedented military and economic strength." While not openly criticising the Bush administration Mr Carter nonetheless referred to the current budget for US armaments highlighting that "it will be greater than those of the next fifteen nations combined" and added that "our gross national economy exceeds that of the three countries that follow."
During his speech Mr Carter said the decisions of the Security Council should be enforced and specifically referred to Resolution 242 concerning Israel and the Occupied Territories. Referring to Iraq he said "it must comply fully and permit unimpeded access to the inspectors". He said that America's "voice most often prevails on decisions concerning trade and humanitarian assistance" but added that "we have not assumed that super strength guarantees super wisdom and we have consistently reached out to the international community to ensure that our own power and influence are tempered by the best common judgement".
Meanwhile, in Stockholm the other Nobel prizewinners accepted their awards in a ceremony attended by the Swedish King and Queen. The Nobel Awards ceremony is split between Oslo which hands out the peace prize and Stockholm which is responsible for the awards in Medicine, Economics, Chemistry, Physics and Literature.