US DIPLOMAT RICHARD Haass, who is leading efforts at reconciling the North, is to awarded a prestigious Irish peace prize.
Haass will follow in the footsteps of Nelson Mandela, former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and former President Mary McAleese in collecting the award. 2012 recipient Malala Yousafzai made headlines when she came to Ireland to collect her prize last August.
Haass succeeded Senator George Mitchell (a previous recipient of the Tipperary Peace Award) as US Special Envoy to Northern Ireland from 2001-2003, and last year he returned to Northern Ireland, with Professor Meghan O’Sullivan, to chair all party talks on flags, parades and the legacy of the troubles. While the talks broke up on New Years Eve without an agreement being reached, it is widely acknowledged that considerable progress was made particularly on issues dealing with “the past”.
He said that he was “honoured to be receiving the prize”.
I view this award as a tribute to the many people across Northern Ireland who have done so much to promote genuine reconciliation there.
“I have been fortunate to meet and work with numerous people dedicated to Northern Ireland’s future, and am gratified to be recognised alongside such individuals as Bill Clinton, George Mitchell, Mary and Martin McAleese, Robin Eames, and the others who have dedicated themselves to the cause of peace in Northern Ireland and beyond.”
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