Mahathir in race for Nobel Peace Prize 2007

Singapore, Feb 4: Four non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Bosnia and Herzegovina have nominated former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad for the Nobel Peace Prize 2007, according to Kuala Lumpur-based media reports today.

The NGOs are the Sarajevo School of Science and Technology, the Congress of Bosnik Intellectuals and two Christian organisations -- the Serb Civic Council from Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Croat National Council.

The nomination was spearheaded by Dr Ejup Ganic, who was Vice-President of Bosnia-Herzegovina from 1990-96 and President of the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina until March 2001.

Dr Ganic, currently the Chancellor of the Sarajevo School of Science and Technology, had worked closely with Dr Mahathir in the 1990s when Malaysia provided economic, political and humanitarian support to a Bosnia-Herzegovina recovering from the trauma of genocide and ethnic cleansing in the 1992-95 civil war, said the media reports.

Nominations to the Norwegian Nobel Committee closed on February 1, this year's list includes former US Vice-President Al Gore, Finnish peace broker Martti Ahtisaari and Chinese dissident Rebiya Kadeer.

The committes has obtained a nomination paper signed by Dr Ganic, which described Dr Mahathir, 81, as the Third World's 'most illustrious contemporary' and its 'most courageous advocate'.

Dr Ganic highlighted Dr Mahathir's 'Prosper Thy Neighbour' policy, his enlightened vision of Islam and his work as an ambassador of peace in Iraq-Iran, Bosnia-Herzegovina, southern Thailand, Philippines and Aceh.

Dr Mahathir retired as Malaysia's fourth Prime Minister in 2003.

UNI