Russia's Zhirinovsky calls to revoke Obama's Nobel Peace Prize

Vladimir Zhirinovsky

Russia's head of the Liberal Democratic Party, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, has appealed to the Nobel Prize Committee to revoke U.S. President Barack Obama's Nobel Prize, the party's press service said in a statement on Monday.

Obama received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009 for his commitment to non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.

"The situation in Libya is yet another shocking act of aggression by NATO forces and in particular by the United States. This is a clear reflection of colonial policy. This is another crude invasion into the domestic affairs of an independent state. There is only one goal: to take control of Libyan oil and the Libyan regime and not saving the Libyan people," the press service quoted Zhirinovsky as saying.

The colorful and flamboyant leader of Russia's LDPR party plans to meet with Libyan Ambassador to Russia Amir al-Arabi on Wednesday to discuss the latest events in the North African country.

Earlier Zhirinovsky called on the Muslim world to support Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and sent an official letter to NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen demanding the immediate stop to the military operation in Libya.

A military operation against Libya's strongman Gaddafi, who has ruled the country with an iron fist for more than 40 years, began on Saturday. On Monday, Western forces launched a second wave of air strikes on Gaddafi's positions under a UN resolution authorizing military action to protect Libyan civilians.

NATO has so far not indicated if it will participate in the operation.

Libyan television has reported that at least 50 civilians have been killed and over 150 wounded in the UN strikes and that many health and education facilities have been destroyed.

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