'Geldof deserves Nobel Peace Prize'

A Norwegian politician, who has nominating rights for the Nobel Peace Prize, said that Live 8 organiser Bob Geldof should win the coveted award, a news agency said.

Jan Simonsen was yesterday quoted as telling Norwegian news agency NTB that Geldof should be honoured for his efforts to bring attention to world poverty through rock music.

“I have for many years thought that a representative person from the rock environment should get the prize to show rock’s border-breaking character,” Mr Simonsen was quoted as saying.

“For example, rock is listened to by both Palestinian and Israeli youth. That in itself can create peace.”

The deadline for this year’s prize has passed, but Mr Simonsen has until February 1 to make a formal nomination for the 2006 prize.

Nobel statues permit nominations by previous Nobel Peace Prize winners; current and former members of the committee and their staff; members of national governments and legislatures; university professors of law, theology, social sciences, history and philosophy; leaders of peace research and foreign affairs institutes; and members of international courts of law.

The award is always presented on December 10 – the anniversary of the death of its founder, Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel.