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The Norwegian facilitated peace talks between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam is among those speculated upon by the international community as prospective winners of this year's Nobel Peace Prize.

NTB, a Norwegian news agency, in an overview of candidates for the annual award presentation worth one million dollars has noted that the current peace process in Sri Lanka aimed at ending the war might have a chance of grabbing the prestigious award which has 156 nominees for the year 2002 which include 117 individuals and 39 organisations. Ole Walberg of NTB said that the Sri Lankan peace talks may stand a chance in the contest as the committee has earlier been quick to act to push a peace process in the right direction.

However other peace experts commenting on the possibility said that the Prize was unlikely to be awarded to the Sri Lankan talks until a final peace had been established.

The winner of the Award which was picked by a panel of judges on Thursday will be announced on October 11 and observers said there was no clear favourites after a year overshadowed by the September 11 attack, the war on Afghanistan and the conflict in the Middle East.

According to the Peace Research Institute, Oslo, former US Democratic Senator Sam Nunn and Republican Senator Richard Lugar are likely laureates for their work to dispose of nuclear and chemical weapons while other institutes have tipped former US President Jimmy Carter and Afghan President Hamid Karzai as possible winners. Last year the winner was United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan.

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