Solberg: – Prize winner has shown great courage

Prime Minister Erna Solberg congratulates the Colombian president on the Peace PrizePrime Minister Erna Solberg congratulates the Colombian president on the Peace Prize.Photo: Fredrik Varfjell / NTB scanpix

Prime Minister Erna Solberg congratulated the Colombian president on the Peace Prize and commended his courage and great perseverance.

– On behalf of the government I would like to congratulate the prize winner.

It goes to a leader who has shown great courage by putting himself at the negotiating table and trying to put an end to Latin America’s longest conflict.  He has shown great stamina by sitting at the negotiating table for four years, said Solberg at a press conference one hour after the award was announced Friday.

– He has been in difficult and challenging discussions, but it was important that he has shown this endurance, said Solberg, who also stressed that the prize belongs to all the victims in the over 50 year-long civil war.

Solberg said, the head of the Nobel Committee Kaci Kullmann Five hopes the prize might be an inspiration for future peace efforts.

– The road to peace is still being organized and we are trying to find ideas that contribute to a long term solution in Colombia, although the Colombian people said no to the peace treaty on October 2nd, they have not said no to peace, said Solberg

The Prime Minister also pointed out a silver plated peace dove that  she had received from President Santos, as a memory of the peace agreement. Solberg said she has the peace dove in her office.

 

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today

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