Oslo - President Ezer Weizman of Israel is a frontline candidate for the 1999 Nobel Peace Prize, securing weighty nominations from European royalty, Nobel laureates and Middle Eastern leaders, the Norwegian daily Aftenposten has reported. The Palestinian President, Mr Yasser Arafat, in a letter to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, described Mr Weizman (75) as a pioneer of modern Israel who fought for direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, the newspaper reported.
Nobel laureates nominating him include the former US secretary of state, Dr Henry Kissinger, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, it added. No one at the Nobel Institute was available to comment on the report. The committee will announce its decision on October 15th.