Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro lauded the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to US President Barack Obama, saying yesterday it was “a positive measure” that was more a criticism of past US policies than a recognition of Obama’s accomplishments.

Castro said the prize made up for the blow Obama suffered recently when the International Olympic Committee awarded the 2016 Summer Games to Rio de Janeiro after Obama had flown to Copenhagen to pitch for Chicago, his adoptive hometown.

The Nobel Committee announ­ced last Friday that Obama had won the peace price for his “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples”.

The decision prompted surprise in many quarters and anger from Obama’s conservative foes in the United States.

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