Taoiseach picks up US award
The Taoiseach left Washington this morning for an EU heads of government meeting in Barcelona.
Last night he was given the annual peace award from the America Ireland Fund at a black-tie dinner in the US capital.
The America Ireland Fund, which has raised millions of dollars from corporate America for projects in the North and along the border, chose Bertie Ahern this year to honour at its annual gala dinner.
Held in the soaring modernity of the Ronal Reagan Centre in downtown Washington, over a thousand Irish American businessmen and politicians gathered to honour the Taoiseach.
Receiving the award, Mr. Ahern said a basic motivation of his political career had been to contribute towards a better way forward in the North.
He said however imperfect peace still was, it was profoundly important steps were being taken on policing and decommissioning. Renegade loyalists and dissident republicans would not drag our efforts down, he said.
