Opposition to EU Nobel Peace Prize grows ahead of ceremony
Former Nobel laureates, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, are leading opposition to plans to give to the prize to the EU at an awards ceremony next Monday.
Tutu was joined by Northern Ireland's Mairead Maguire, who won the prize in 1976, and Argentina's Adolfo Perez Esquivel, who won in 1980, in condemning the move, which raised eyebrows across the world.
"The Norwegian Nobel committee has redefined and remodelled the prize in a manner that is not consistent with the law," the open letter from the trio read.
The "EU is clearly not 'the champion of peace' that Alfred Nobel had in mind when he wrote his will", they added.
The EU was given the prize for helping to "transform most of Europe from a continent of war to a continent of peace", according to prize organisers.
European council president Herman Van Rompuy called for all 27 member states to attend the ceremony next week, but David Cameron has already said he will not be going.
So far, 18 leaders have confirmed their attendance.
