Ahtisaari picks up his Nobel Peace Prize

The former Finnish President Maarti Ahtisaari has collected his Nobel Peace Prize. Ahtisaari is known most recently for his attempts to spearhead a compromise over independence for Kosovo. But he was awarded the honour for decades of work attempting to solve international conflicts on several continents.

The EU-backed plan for Kosovo, which he drafted, did not achieve its ambitions. Serbia never accepted it, and Pristina would not discuss a compromise. But he was instrumental in a peace deal between the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh rebels, after a 30 year uprising. He also worked on peace making attempts in Northern Ireland. As well as the gold medal he received a cheque for around a million euros.

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