Translation
courtesy of
The Nobel committee chairman explained the choice Obama
"Who did this year?" Asks the former Norwegian prime minister to those who think that having rewarded the president of the United States of Nobel peace was premature.World 10/10/2009 at 16h39 (Source AFP)
The President of the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the Nobel Peace Barack Obama responded Saturday to critics who believe the reward premature, pointing to the opposite that there was a risk to reward Bush "too late" .
"Is there someone who can show me who made this year?" Asked Thorbjoern Jagland at a press briefing at the Center Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, quoted by several Norwegian media.
"It is difficult to pick a winner of the Peace Prize that is closest to the will of Alfred Nobel Obama," said former Prime Minister of Norway (1996-1997), who heads the committee since February, according the daily Dagbladet.
If the congratulations and encouragement poured in after the unexpected award of Nobel Peace Bush, some have expressed reservations and three previous winners, including Lech Walesa, has openly disagreed, claiming it was awarded for too little especially too early, less than nine months after the beginning of his mandate.
"I mean it would also have been too late," replied Thorbjoern Jagland Saturday. "We get air time, the need of the time, he has defended.
The award was given to Barack Obama "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples," said the Norwegian Nobel Committee in its decision Friday.