Ahtisaari wins Nobel Peace Prize

10/10/2008

OSLO, Norway -- Former UN Special Envoy for Kosovo Martti Ahtisaari has won this year's Nobel Peace Prize, the Nobel Foundation announced on Friday (October 10th). The Nobel committee cited "his important efforts, on several continents and over more than three decades, to resolve international conflicts". The former Finnish president served as UN special envoy for talks on the final status of Kosovo and mediated a 2005 accord in Indonesia's Aceh province. He also worked to resolve conflicts in Namibia, Iraq and Northern Ireland. Ahtisaari said he is "very pleased and grateful" to receive the award. (BBC, B92, Reuters, AP - 10/10/08)