Remarks by Mr. Bertie Ahern At the Sabina Arana Awards Ceremony, Bilbao, Sunday 29th January 2012

Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for your hospitality and it is a great pleasure to be here in the Basque Country once again. I am delighted to accept this award and I want to thank the Sabina Arana Foundation for an honour which I will cherish.

I want to also acknowledge the contribution of the other international peace mediators - Kofi Annan, Gro Harlem Bruntland, Pierre Joxe, Gerry Adams and Jonathan Powell - who played a vital part in the peace conference in San Sebastian last year.

October 17th 2011 was the date that we, as a group of international leaders, called on ETA to abandon violence permanently.

We called upon ETA "to make a public declaration of a definitive cessation of all armed action and to request talks with the governments of Spain and France to address exclusively the consequences of the conflict,"

"If such a declaration is made," the statement I read on that historic day said, "we urge the governments of Spain and France to welcome it and agree to talks exclusively to deal with the consequences of the conflict."
I welcome the fact that since the conference ETA has announced "a definitive cessation of its armed activity."
For any successful process of reconciliation following a long conflict, it is crucial to remember peace has to be built step-by-step. It is a gradual, very slow process and no one should think lasting reconciliation will happen instantaneously following the wave of a magic wand. It takes time and its take courage but it is a prize worth persevering for. I believe it is the duty of every democratically elected politician to do so. What, after all, is more important than peace and the prevention of conflict and killing?

Today, I want to stress my belief in ongoing dialogue as the best way by which peace can be built. You cannot achieve lasting build peace without communicating with people you don't agree with. As Yitzak Rabin famously said, you make peace with your enemies not your friends. In Northern Ireland, Tony Blair and I opted for an inclusive approach that had the majority of parties, including those associated with paramilitary groups, around the table. It was complex, it was difficult, but in our context and situation, it proved the right decision.

In conclusion, I thank again the Foundation for this award. And I ask everyone in the Basque Country to keep pushing for peace. You have a beautiful country with the potential to be the powerhouse economy in Europe if a lasting solution can be found. Peace will bring its own rewards. It will bring prosperity, it will bring investment and, most importantly, it will mean a brighter future for the next generation. So please keep up the good work of reconciliation and peace-building.