OSLO: Colombia´s President Juan Manuel Santos won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for his efforts to end the half-century war with FARC rebels, sparking a new pledge to salvage a peace deal rejected by the people.
The award was a surprise, coming just five days after Colombian voters shot down the historic accord Santos signed last month with FARC leader Rodrigo Londono, alias Timoleon "Timochenko" Jimenez.
But the prize appeared to encourage the peacemakers, with the government and rebels vowing to continue a ceasefire and discuss changes to the agreement "to give guarantees to all".
The Norwegian Nobel committee said the award recognised Santos´ "resolute efforts" to bring Latin America´s longest war to end and hailed his decision to put the peace deal to the people despite knowing it was controversial.
Some observers expressed surprise the FARC leader was not jointly honoured by the award. But Jimenez congratulated his former enemy and said the only prize the Marxist guerrillas wanted was "peace with social justice for Colombia.. peace in the streets."
Nobel committee chairwoman Kaci Kullmann Five paid tribute to other players in the peace process, without mentioning FARC.
"By awarding this year´s Peace Prize to President Juan Manuel Santos, the Norwegian Nobel Committee wishes to encourage all those who are striving to achieve peace, reconciliation and justice in Colombia," she said.
The deal, signed with pens made from bullet casings on September 26 after nearly four years of talks, was supposed to be ratified following an October 2 referendum but voters rejected it, leaving Colombia teetering between war and peace.
The Nobel committee said the award´s aim was to bolster peace efforts that were now in "real danger" of collapse, with the risk of civil war flaring again.
"We hope that it will encourage all good initiatives and all the parties who could make a difference in the peace process and give Colombia -- finally -- a peace after decades of war," Kullmann Five said.
Santos said he was honoured by the award, which he dedicated to "all Colombians, especially the millions of victims of this conflict that we have suffered for more than 50 years".
In remarks to the Nobel Foundation, the 65-year-old also said the award was "a great stimulus" in the quest for peace.
"The message is that we have to persevere and reach the end of this war. We are very, very close, we just need to push a bit further."