Mixture of praise and scepticism from surprised world leaders

A SURPRISED world greeted the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to US President Barack Obama with a mixture of praise and scepticism.

In its announcement, the Norwegian Nobel Committee hailed Obama’s “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and co-operation between peoples”.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg referred to Obama’s work for peace and disarmament, saying: “This is a surprising, an exciting prize. It remains to be seen if he will succeed with reconciliation, peace and nuclear disarmament.”