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OSLO — President Barack Obama won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday in a stunning decision designed to build momentum behind his initiatives to reduce nuclear arms, ease tensions with the Muslim world and stress diplomacy and cooperation rather than unilateralism.

Obama said he was surprised and deeply humbled by the honor, and planned to travel to Oslo to accept the prize.

"I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many transformative figures that have been honored by this prize," he said. "I will accept this award as a call to action, a call for all nations to confront the challenges of the 21st century."

Many observers were shocked by the unexpected choice so early in the Obama presidency, which began less than two weeks before the Feb. 1 nomination deadline and has yet to yield concrete achievements in peacemaking.

just a proof of to what kind of people they give this prize!

I agree: 

For you: 

How can someone be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize after only 12 days in office...He even admits he is not deserving..at least that is something I can finally agree with him on. .I always thought this committee was nuts when I see who has been selected in the past, including Carter, Al Gore & Arafet..Only confirms my thoughts..

Agreed! Utter nonsense...

A guy whose country is currently engaged in 2 wars they started sounds like a lousy Peace Nobel candidate, lt alone winner...

Watching Obama on TV last night he looked incredibly embarassed!

Venezuela´s ombudswoman: Nobel Prize to Obama is a mockery of human rights

"The Nobel Peace Prize for Barack Obama, the president of the United States, is a mockery of human rights," said on Friday Gabriela Ramírez, the Venezuelan Ombudswoman.

"It is confusing and difficult to understand the fact that (Barack) Obama, who is the leader of a government that has legitimized torture to obtain information and presides over a country that has no human rights institutions, has been awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize (...) This award is a mockery of human rights," she said.

Ramírez told TV show Despertó Venezuela (Venezuela awoke), broadcast by state-run TV network Venezolana de Televisión, that the US president should apologize to the countries where it has perpetrated genocides, before being awarded a Nobel Prize, state-owned news agency ABN reported.

Ramírez recalled that Obama´s administration has reactivated the Fourth Fleet in the Caribbean Sea and is deploying seven military bases in Colombia, near the border with Venezuela, that affect the sovereignty and peace in South America.

The ombudswoman said: "The Nobel Peace Prize is symbolically awarded to someone who works for peace. The top representative of a military power can not be awarded this Prize."

Early on Friday, the Norwegian Nobel Committee said Obama was awarded the Peace Prize for his extraordinary efforts to promote nuclear disarmament and his new willingness to attack growing environmental problems.

I couldn`t agree more!

I don´t think Obama should have gotten this price, but people seem to misunderstand why he got it. He didn´t get the price for his acts as president. The nominations were given out a long time ago, when he was just president. So, he got this award for becoming president and inspiring people by becoming president.

I think ofcourse his election has had an impact around the world. People got the hope that the fiasco that was Bush could finally be turned around. But I don´t think Obama should get a price for something he didn´t do. Becoming president is not something he did, it´s something the American people did. They chose him. You can´t give somebody a price for being elected.

It is kind of mockery that he got this Prize for not being Bush. Analogically, I should get it too as I´m not Hitler

shows how this organization lost its credibility. perhaps they are awarding their dreams, obama is giving peace to them in their dreams

It is a VERY strange decision to award Obama the peace prize - and extremely embarassing for him!  Apparently he had no idea until the day of the awards.  For me, it smacks of "positive discrimination" and I really wonder if this has been an award for becoming the first BLACK president.

It makes a mockery of the awards...