Ahern and Blair address UK parliament

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has joined Prime Minister Tony Blair to address the House of Commons and the House of Lords at Westminster today. He has become the first Irish leader to address a joint session of both Houses of Parliament in the Royal Gallery.

Mr Ahern, praised Mr Blair for his contribution to the peace process in Northern Ireland.

He called the PM “a true friend to me, a true friend to Ireland.”

“He has an honoured place in Irish hearts and an Irish history," Mr Ahern said. "And we thank Prime Minister Blair for ten years of enormous effort to help us get to where we are today. And the fact is we would not have achieved it without his efforts.”

He also looked ahead to a “partnership of peace” between Ireland and Britain, which he said would bring economic growth and prosperity to both sides of the border.

“Remembering where we have come from, we must never, ever, take for granted the stability and the hope that are now taking root in Northern Ireland.

“We have built a remarkable foundation for a whole new level of cooperation between our two countries.

“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 deemed a major honour, and previous world leaders who have also made addresses include Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama and former US Presidents Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan.

Only 31 world leaders have previously addressed both Houses since 1939.

Mr Blair also gave a speech, as did the speaker of the House of Lords and House of Commons who hosted the event.

(JM/KMcA)