Blair and Bush nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

THE collapse of the Taleban was deemed enough reward for Tony Blair and George Bush’s robust Afghanistan campaign. But yesterday, they received an unexpected extra: a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Harald Tom Nesvik, a right-wing Norwegian MP with Nobel prize nomination rights, has put their names forward for the 2002 list.

He is arguing that the two Western leaders have demonstrated their commitment to peace by making it abundantly clear they will not tolerate terrorist attacks.

"The background for my nomination is their decisive action against terrorism, something I believe in the future will be the greatest threat to peace," Mr Nesvik said yesterday. "Unfortunately, sometimes you have to use force to secure peace."

The Oslo-based awards committee has been accepting nominations from 1 February.

However, Mr Blair and Mr Bush are nowhere near a shortlist. Last year, 136 individuals and groups were nominated; this year’s count is expected to exceed 160, with many nominees linked to 11 September and its aftermath. The nomination would please Mr Blair, who argued throughout that the bombing campaign was intended to lay the foundations for lasting world peace.

Today, Gordon Brown, the Chancellor, will add to this theme by spelling out a 50 billion aid package billed as a "global new deal" which will share the West’s wealth with destitute countries and pre-vent a resurgence of terrorism. In the last 40 years, the Nobel Peace Prize has only come to the United Kingdom once - when David Trimble and John Hume were recognised in 1998 for their work in the Northern Ireland peace process.

Other laureates include Nelson Mandela and de FW Klerk, Mikhail Gorbachev, Lech Walesa, Martin Luther King and Mother Teresa.