Tunisian Nobel Peace Prize winners hail award

Tunisia's National Dialogue Quartet, winners of the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize, hailed the award today as both a surprise and a testament to the country's transition to democracy.
The head of a labour union within the quartet called it a "tribute to martyrs" of the North African nation's democratic process.
"This effort by our youth has allowed the country to turn the page on dictatorship," said Houcine Abassi, secretary general of the UGTT, part of the National Dialogue Quartet that was recognised for building democracy after the 2011 revolution.
He also hailed the willingness of political parties "to be at the negotiating table to find solutions to political crises".

The Quartet also includes the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts, the Tunisian Human Rights League and the Tunisian Order of Lawyers.
Fadhel Mahfoudh, head of the lawyers' group, called the prize a reward for "the process undertaken by the Tunisian people, who dreamed of democracy and human rights".

He said it "injects new life into the democratic transition" in the country.
Human Rights League chief Abdessattar Ben Moussa called the Nobel a "beautiful surprise" for the country as a whole.
"It is a source of pride for Tunisia, which has proven that dialogue saves a country from crisis, not weapons," he said.

The president of the Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts (UTICA), Wided Bouchamaoui, also spoke of "great pride" for the Tunisian people.