What a pleasure to see this year's Nobel Peace Prize awarded to a true peacemaker.The winner is Martti Ahtisaari (right), the former President of Finland (1994-2000), who for years has done the hard work of diplomacy in the world's trouble spots. To name a few: Northern Ireland, where he served on the commission that secured disarmament there; Indonesia, where he negotiated peace between the government and rebels in the country's Aceh province; and, as posted here, Kosovo, which declared its independence earlier this year. At a Peace Prize press conference yesterday, Ahtisaari noted with approval that on the same day 2 states, Macedonia and Montenegro, had just recognized Kosovo 's statehood. (photo credit)
The Nobel Committee's announcement is in this Reuters video newsclip:
