15 May 2007
Bertie Ahern has made a historic address to the Joint Houses of Parliament in Westminster following the restoration of devolution last week.
The Taoiseach declared “Ireland’s hour has come”, while praising the contribution Tony Blair made to the peace process.
Mr Blair was also warm in his praise for his counterpart Mr Ahern, introducing him by saying: “He was a man I could always trust, a man with a vision for the future not just of Ireland but for these islands.”
Ministers from the four main parties in Northern Ireland took their pledge of office in a ceremony at Stormont last Tuesday, bringing devolved Government back to the region after five years.
Opening his address to MPs and Lords in the Royal Gallery today, Mr Ahern said:
“Today is a new and glad departure in an old and extraordinary relationship… this generation is leaving the past behind, building friendship and laying the foundation for a lasting partnership of common interests.”
He stressed his commitment to Irish unity but his absolute opposition to the use of violence:
“For decades our relations have been filtered through the prism of conflict. Now, building on the peace and progress of the last decade, we can begin to pay greater attention to the wider partnership of common interests between our two islands.”
Addressing the joint Houses is a major honour and has been previously bestowed on only 31 world leaders since 1939.
The distinguished roll call includes Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama and former US presidents Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan.
Also on the list is Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, Soviet leaders Nikita Khrushchev and Mikhail Gorbachev and Charles de Gaulle of France.
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Image copyright: Reuters
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