ANDY: ARAFAT IS ANYTHING BUT NOBEL By ZACH HABERMAN and SIMON CRITTLE
April 8, 2002 -- Gubernatorial hopeful Andrew Cuomo called on the Norwegian Nobel Committee to yank Yasser Arafat's 1994 peace prize yesterday, saying he's doing the award a "dishonor."
"The Nobel Committee should rescind the prize because Arafat is not now supporting peace. This is not behavior befitting a Nobel Peace Prize winner," said Cuomo.
The Palestinian leader received the award along with Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and then-Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin for their efforts leading to the 1993 Oslo Agreement.
In a letter sent to Gunner Berge, chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Cuomo writes that since "Mr. Arafat has now abandoned that path for the dark road of violence, bloodshed and terror," he is no longer deserving of the honor.