Ahern and Blair to share US peace prize

The Taoiseach Mr Ahern and British Prime Minister Mr Tony Blair will be honoured in the US today for their role in advancing the peace process.

there are few who have done more in recent history to advance the cause of human rights than Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern University president Mr Philip Austin

Mr Ahern - in New York to address the United Nations General Assembly for the first time - and Mr Blair will be recognised in a ceremony at the University of Connecticut.

The university said Mr Ahern would attend while Mr Blair was being represented by Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott.

Both leaders will receive the Thomas J Dodd Prize in International Justice and Human Rights for their role in the development of the Belfast Agreement.

University president Mr Philip Austin said: "Whether human rights mean the right of a young child to walk safely to school or the right of an entire nation to determine its own future, there are few who have done more in recent history to advance the cause of human rights than Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern."

The honour, as well as a $47,000 prize, is donated biennially to "an individual or group that has made a significant effort to advance the cause of international justice and global human rights".