Archbishop Desmond Tutu and two other Nobel Peace laureates have written to the
foundation in protest at the decision to award the 2012 prize to the European
Union.
The "EU is clearly not 'the champion of peace' that Alfred
Nobel had in mind when he wrote his will", they said in an open letter.
The letter was also signed by Northern Ireland's Mairead
Maguire, who won the prize in 1976, and Argentina's Adolfo Perez Esquivel,
1980.
"The Norwegian Nobel committee has redefined and remodelled the
prize in a manner that is not consistent with the law," they said, adding that
the committee should respect the original wishes of the Nobel founder who died
in 1896.
The three also called for the prize money of 930,000 euros
($1.2 million) not to be paid to the EU.
Eighteen European leaders have accepted an invitation to next
month's ceremony while six others have declined, the Nobel Institute said
Thursday.
British Prime Minister David Cameron leads the list of leaders
who plan to snub the December 10 event in Oslo, while German Chancellor Angela
Merkel and French President Francois Hollande have said they will attend.
European Union President Herman Van Rompuy called on all its
27 member states and soon-to-be-inducted Croatia to send attendees to the
ceremony after the EU won the award on October 12 -- a controversial decision
that came as a surprise amid the economic crisis racking the bloc.
© 2012 Nwiro Ngozika . All rights reserved.
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