The horrors of the war in Ukraine prompt the world to reflect. This is what the eight Nobel Peace Laureates who have launched an appeal for de-escalation surely thought. Lech Walesa, Jose Ramos-Horta, Jody Williams, Lord William David Trimble, Mohammad Yunus, Leymmah Gbowee, Juan Manuel Santos and Oscar Arias Sanchez, promoter of the initiative.
Arias Sanchez, 82, was twice president of Costa Rica and won the Nobel Prize in 1987, thanks to his commitment to demilitarization. His peace plan gave way to an agreement between his country, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. Furthermore, incredibly, he managed to persuade Panama to abandon its army (Costa Rica already forbids its formation in the Constitution), creating the “safest border in the world“. We interviewed him, to understand his point of view (and that of the signatories of the appeal).
President Sanchez, why did you feel the need to deliver such a strong message?
“I felt the need to ask both sides to take a serious seat at the negotiating table. Every day more civilians die: men, women, girls, boys. Sooner or later a ceasefire will necessarily come, so why continue with the death of the innocent? Better to use diplomacy now, better late than never ».
Its commitment to demilitarization never stops. What do you feel like saying to Western countries, which are experiencing a strong contrast between those who want to send weapons to Ukraine and those who instead think that this is not the ideal solution?
“The fact that weapons are being sent shows the little faith the world has in dialogue. This reminds me of when 35 years ago we managed to bring peace to Central America. Zelensky is now asking for weapons, but there are more and more Ukrainians dying, because Russia has all the equipment she wants. John Fitzgerald Kennedy said that “one must not be afraid to negotiate, but one must not negotiate out of fear”. I don’t know what will happen after the negotiation: Ukraine could become a neutral state, but I don’t know Putin’s intentions, nor his demands. Therefore, the later they sit down to negotiate, the more deaths there will be. On both sides, because together with civilians, many soldiers, both Ukrainians and Russians, are dying ».
According to the latest SIPRI report, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the arms market is growing compared to the past decade. Where is the strength to continue to propose demilitarization in a historical moment in which the main world superpowers are pushing towards an arms race?
“There is no such force. Unfortunately, after this war there will be others. The big winners are the arms manufacturers. There has never been a more perverse invention than weapons. People don’t need guns, they need culture, infrastructure, education ».
In 2014 Vladimir Putin was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. In 2019 it was won by Ethiopian President Abiy Ahmed Ali, who is now accused by numerous NGOs such as Amnesty International or Human Rights Watch, but also by a United Nations report, of having committed crimes against humanity in Tigray. How do you get to these shorts?
“We have to admit that unfortunately it can happen that the Nobel Committee awards it to the wrong person. Regarding Putin, the nominees are 300 or 400 every year, the important thing is not who is appointed, but the person to whom it is assigned. They may have also named Al Capone in the past, the important thing is that he didn’t win it. Then it can happen that the winner is also the wrong person ».
Some say that we are talking about this war because it is at the gates of Europe, while the most “peripheral” and bloody conflicts are forgotten. What do you think?
«I totally agree. We see this war on TV and on the web all day, because it is in Ukraine. However, there are conflicts in distant parts of the world that are not followed as well. That is why we should use this media attention to show that we can step forward and negotiate for peace and end it immediately. This is why we would like Putin and Zelensky to be at the negotiating table, but also a couple of presidents of the EU countries, of the United Kingdom and President Biden. Effective negotiation must be conducted at the highest possible level. It seems impossible, but it can be done. Believe me ».