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Sunday, October 11, 2009

Obama's Nobel win positive, says Fidel Castro

Obama's Nobel win positive, says Fidel Castro
IANS Sunday 11th October, 2009

The decision to award the Nobel Peace Prize to US President Barack Obama
was 'a positive measure and compensates his defeat in Copenhagen when
Rio de Janeiro was picked as a site for 2016 Olympic Games', Cuban
leader Fidel Castro has said.

He added that Obama's Nobel win could be considered a condemnation of
the 'genocidal policies' of some of the former US presidents.

In an article titled 'Reflections', the 83-year-old ex-president said he
does not always share the views of those who award the Nobel, but was
'obliged to acknowledge' it, especially in these times, as 'a positive
measure'.

'Many will say that (Obama) has not yet earned the right to receive such
a distinction. We prefer to see the decision - not so much a prize for
the president of the US - (but) as a criticism of the genocidal policies
pursued by a few presidents of that country, who led the world to the
crossroads (as) it is today,' Castro said in the article released Friday.

He said Obama's Nobel Prize is 'an appeal for peace and search for
solutions that lead to the survival of species'.

The Cuban leader said: 'It compensates for Obama's defeat in Copenhagen
when Rio de Janeiro and not Chicago was picked as the site for the 2016
Olympic Games which provoked angry attacks from his adversaries on the
far right.'

The Norwegian Nobel Committee said it decided to honour Obama for his
'extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and
cooperation between peoples'.

The committee said Obama's 'vision of a world free from nuclear arms has
powerfully stimulated disarmament and arms control negotiations'.

Obama's Nobel win positive, says Fidel Castro (11 October 2009)
http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/?sid=553107

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