09. 10. 09. - 14:00

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09. 10. 09. - 14:00

Obama Nobel Peace Prize win sparks mixed reactions

By Thomas Hochwarter

The decision to award US president Barack Obama the Nobel Peace Prize today (Fri) has sparked mixed reactions in Austria.

Social Democratic (SPÖ) whip Josef Cap said the Norwegian committee’s decision had stressed the American president’s "great engagement in trying to solve international conflicts".

Cap highlighted Obama’s attempts to start new peace talks in the Middle East and his clear words on Iran’s nuclear programme.

"Barack Obama has led US foreign policies into a new era and he has given hope to the world. This has been rightly honoured," Cap said.

But Herbert Scheibner, deputy head of the Alliance for the Future of Austria (BZÖ), said: "Obama could be given an award of hope, because he hasn’t achieved anything as yet."

Scheibner – the opposition party’s spokesman for foreign affairs – claimed the Nobel Prize Committee had devalued the award’s importance with its decision.

Austrian Times

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