Craig
12-11-2002, 09:22 AM
http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=news&...cat=8&id=242239 (http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=news&cat=8&id=242239)
War is evil, 1st strike dangerous, Carter tells Nobel ceremony
Wednesday, December 11, 2002 at 09:30 JST
OSLO — Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, winner of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, said Tuesday that war is always evil no matter how necessary it is and indicated his criticism of current U.S. foreign policy for leaning toward the use of force.
Carter made the remarks in his acceptance speech at the awards ceremony in the Norwegian capital where he was honored with a medal and 10 million Swedish kronor (about 130 million yen) for his efforts to find peaceful resolutions to international conflicts, such as those in the Middle East.
"We will not learn how to live together in peace by killing each others' children," Carter said.
"For powerful countries to adopt a principle of preventive war may well set an example that can have catastrophic consequences," warned Carter, the 38th president of the U.S. from 1977 to 1981.
"From a great distance, we launch bombs or missiles with almost total impunity, and never want to know the number or identity of the victims," he said.
Meanwhile, the Norwegian Nobel Committee apologized for a mistake it made 24 years ago when Carter's name was left off the awardees list due to red tape.
In 1978 the committee originally agreed to award Carter, Egyptian President Muhammad Anwar al-Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin for their contributions to the so-called Camp David Accords on peace between Egypt and Israel in September that year after negotiations at the U.S. presidential retreat.
It then withdrew the decision because Carter was not among the candidates list submitted by the deadline of Feb 1 that year.
Carter is the third Nobel Peace Prize recipient among U.S. presidents, following Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 and Woodrow Wilson in 1920
War is evil, 1st strike dangerous, Carter tells Nobel ceremony
Wednesday, December 11, 2002 at 09:30 JST
OSLO — Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, winner of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, said Tuesday that war is always evil no matter how necessary it is and indicated his criticism of current U.S. foreign policy for leaning toward the use of force.
Carter made the remarks in his acceptance speech at the awards ceremony in the Norwegian capital where he was honored with a medal and 10 million Swedish kronor (about 130 million yen) for his efforts to find peaceful resolutions to international conflicts, such as those in the Middle East.
"We will not learn how to live together in peace by killing each others' children," Carter said.
"For powerful countries to adopt a principle of preventive war may well set an example that can have catastrophic consequences," warned Carter, the 38th president of the U.S. from 1977 to 1981.
"From a great distance, we launch bombs or missiles with almost total impunity, and never want to know the number or identity of the victims," he said.
Meanwhile, the Norwegian Nobel Committee apologized for a mistake it made 24 years ago when Carter's name was left off the awardees list due to red tape.
In 1978 the committee originally agreed to award Carter, Egyptian President Muhammad Anwar al-Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin for their contributions to the so-called Camp David Accords on peace between Egypt and Israel in September that year after negotiations at the U.S. presidential retreat.
It then withdrew the decision because Carter was not among the candidates list submitted by the deadline of Feb 1 that year.
Carter is the third Nobel Peace Prize recipient among U.S. presidents, following Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 and Woodrow Wilson in 1920