PRESIDENT OBAMA AWARDED THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE

UNCLAS OSLO 000625 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV KPAO SCUL NO SUBJECT: PRESIDENT OBAMA AWARDED THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE REF: HOVENIER/DANIELS (NSC-OSLO) E-MAIL OCTOBER 9 ¶1. (U) Please see action request last para. Thorbjorn Jagland, Chairman of the Nobel Committee in Oslo, announced at 11 am Oslo time (5 am EST) on October 9 that the committee had decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize to President Barack Obama. The announcement had been strongly hinted to the Norwegian press in advance. Jagland emphasized that President Obama has created a new international climate by making diplomacy a central focus of his administration and leading by example that now is the time to face global challenges ranging from climate change to nuclear weapons. Jagland added that through President Obama's influence, international diplomacy has regained center stage, and negotiations have returned as the tool for solving difficult international conflicts. He emphasized more than once in his announcement President Obama's efforts to realize a world without nuclear arms. ¶2. (U) In an interview with CNN after the announcement, Jagland also said that the decision was unanimously taken by the five decision makers on the Nobel Committee, who are selected by the Norwegian parliament. The committee is made up of one man, Chairman Jagland, and four women, Kaci Kullman Five, Sissel Marie Roebeck, Inger-Marie Ytterhorn, and Aagot Valle. All committee members, hailing from both conservative and left-leaning Norwegian political parties, currently or have previously served in Norway's parliament, and are well-known politicians in Norway. ¶3. (U) Norway's Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg released a statement immediately on the GON's website. Text follows: -- "President Obama has created a new international climate of cooperation, where the emphasis is on dialogue and multilateral collaboration. He has extended a hand of friendship in order to resolve conflicts through peaceful means. Through his vision of a world free of nuclear weapons, he has given new impetus to disarmament and arms control efforts. The President's climate initiative has restored our belief that by acting together, we can deal with the serious threat posed by climate change. Norway greatly values President Obama's focus on the UN and other international organizations in global peace and development efforts." ¶4. (U) Embassy Oslo released the following press statement October 9: -- The U.S. Embassy in Oslo is deeply honored that President Barack Obama has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009. He joins three other American presidents who have also received the Peace Prize. -- In the announcement of the prize, the Norwegian Nobel Committee recognizes President Obama's agenda of open dialogue and negotiation to address pressing and difficult issues such as disarmament, climate change, and human rights. They recognize his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples. -- In the nine months since he took office, President Obama has done much to promote peace. He has built new channels of communication which had previously broken down. He has traveled the world on a mission of engagement, and his words speak for themselves. In his September 23, 2009 speech to the United Nations, he said, "...it is my deeply held belief that in the year 2009 - more than at any other point in human history - the interests of nations and peoples are shared... We must embrace a new era of engagement based on mutual interest and mutual respect, and our work must begin now." ¶5. (U) The formal award ceremony will be held the evening of December 10, in Oslo, followed by a Nobel Peace Prize concert on the evening of December 11, also held in Oslo. ¶6. (SBU) ACTION REQUEST: Post requests a point of contact for arrangements related to the December 10 event, and the address to which the committee should send its congratulatory letter to President Obama. Initial guidance we have received directly from the NSC is that the POC for now is NSC/EUR Director Jeff Hovenier, telephone 1-202-456-9151, and that the committee's congratulatory letter should be sent as a PDF via e-mail to Jeff Hovenier, Jeffrey M. Hovenier@nsc.eop.gov or via fax at 1-202-456-9150. HEG