Nobel Peace Prize to Colombian president

The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos.

Members of Civil Defense unit known as White Helmets inspecting the cluster bombs in the Khan Sheikhoun neighborhood of Idlib, Syria, Sept 29, 2016. Source: Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has dedicated his Nobel Peace Prize to the people of his country.

Santos was awared the 2016 prize in a surprise choice after Colombians voted "No" to an agreement he signed with Marxist rebels to end 52 years of war.

Santos has promised to revive the peace plan even though Colombians, in a referendum on Sunday, narrowly rejected the accord. Many voters believed it was too lenient on the FARC guerrillas.

"I receive this with great emotion,'' Santos told the Nobel Foundation in an audio interview posted on its Facebook account.

"This is a great, great recognition for my country. I am eternally grateful.''

"I receive this award in their name: the Colombian people who have suffered so much in this war, especially the millions of victims that have suffered in this war that we are on the verge of ending.''

Committee leader Kaci Kullmann Five said the award should be seen as a tribute to the Colombian people.

Voters did not say "No" to peace but to the agreement, she said.

The award pointedly excluded FARC guerrilla leader Rodrigo Londono, better known by his nom de guerre Timochenko, who signed the deal with Santos.

Some Nobel watchers had taken Colombia off their lists of favourites after the referendum "No".

"The fact that a majority of the voters said "No" to the peace accord does not necessarily mean that the peace process is dead," the committee said.

"This makes it even more important that the parties, headed by President Santos and FARC guerrilla leader Rodrigo Londono, continue to respect the ceasefire," the committee said.