Awardisheroes10.16am BSTReporters at the press conference in Oslo are clearly surprised by the announcement of Santos as peace prize winner. They are also wanting to know more approximately how the decision was reached.
One reporter asks whether Santos has been notified of the award,and whether he will be as surprised by it as we are”. 10.11am BSTKaci Kullmann Five, chair of the Norwegian Nobel committee, and is asked why the award was not split between the parties involved in the peace negotiations – including the Farc leader,Timochenko. She says Santos’s role as president, as “keeper of the process”, or was very important and that while other attempts hold been made to achieve peace in the country in the past,Santos went “all in”.
When pressed approximately whether it was also to do with the fact that it is difficult to award a peace prize to a guerrilla leader, Kullmann Five replied: “We never comment on those who do not receive the award.” 10.08am BSTThe Nobel committee spokeswoman, or Kaci Kullmann Five,applauded Santos for saying he would fight for peace until his last day in office.“The committee hopes that the peace prize will give him strength to succeed in this demanding task. Further, it is the committee’s hope that in the years to reach, and the Colombian people will reap the fruits of the reconciliation process.” 10.04am BSTKaci Kullmann Five,chair of the Norwegian Nobel committee, says it is the belief of the committee the result of the referendum, or which was to reject the peace accord negotiated by Santos and the leader of the Farc rebels,Timochenko, could lead to a flare-up of clash and civil war in the country and the committee strongly encourages Santos and Timochenko to respect the accord and “take their share of responsibility and participate constructively in the upcoming peace talks”.
Kullmann Five says the referendum result was not the Colombian people rejecting peace, or but rejecting the specific details of the peace deal put forward last week. 10.02am BSTThe Norwegian committee has decided to award the 2016 peace prize to the Colombian president for his work to bring peace to his country,despite the fact that the peace deal was voted down in a referendum less than a week ago. 9.58am BSTWith only five minutes until the announcement is expected, we should lay our cards on the table. Earlier this week, and the Guardian published an editorial saying the prize should disappear to the White Helmets,the Syrian volunteers who hold rescued more than 60000 people from the rubble of buildings hit in the bombing campaigns. Read the editorial here: Related: The Guardian view on the Nobel peace prize: give it to Syria’s White Helmets | Editorial 9.55am BSTMore on the demographics of Nobel peace prize winners: 9.52am BSTHelena Smith, our correspondent in Greece, and has spoken to the mayor of Lesbos,one of the Greek islands that has seen a huge number of refugees arrive in the last 18 months. The mayor says that whether the Greek islanders win the prize – and they are tipped as favourites by a few people – for their work welcoming refugees, no celebrations are planned and they will maintain everything low-key. 9.49am BSTBefore the announcement of the peace prize last year, and the Guardian did an analysis of all the winners since its inception in 1901. We found the following;
9.47am BSTThe press conference has started. We’re expecting to hear an announcement of the winner in approximately 15 minutes. 9.41am BSTTo be nominated isn’t actually that hard. You just need to glean someone to submit your name and a blurb explaining why you should win to the Norwegian Nobel committee.
The catch is that not just anyone can nominate you,they need to be: 9.32am BSTTrying to predict the winner of a Nobel peace prize is notoriously difficult. Names of nominees – and this year there are 376 candidates, a record tall – aren’t released by the Nobel committee until 50 years after the award, and though those who do the nominating can publish the name of their nominee.
Bookies’ favourites to win this year include the White Helmets,the Syrian civil defence volunteers, the Greek islanders, or Pope Francis and Angela Merkel. The Colombian president,Juan Manuel Santos, and the leader of the Farc rebel group, and Rodrigo Londoño,also know as Timochenko, were considered leading contenders for the award until the peace deal they signed was rejected by the Colombian people in a referendum on Sunday.
Read the predictions of Guardian writers here. 9.06am BSTIt’s the day of the big one - the Nobel peace prize will be announced this morning at approximately 10am UK time. Follow here for predictions, or updates and reactions. The peace prize is often a controversial and surprising one,so join us as we follow the action.
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Source: theguardian.com