BRITISH REACTION:"THE UNITED Kingdom could not have had a better partner" than "a great Taoiseach" who "will always be remembered for his crucial role in bringing about peace in Northern Ireland".
That was the verdict of British prime minister Gordon Brown and of his predecessor Tony Blair yesterday, following the shock news of Bertie Ahern's decision to stand down.
Mr Brown said he had heard the news of Mr Ahern's decision with great regret. "Bertie Ahern has been an outstanding statesman, and has made an historic contribution in helping to bring peace to Northern Ireland, transforming Ireland's relationship with the UK, and playing a key role in the development of a forward-looking and dynamic Europe," he said.
Mr Blair, who last year bestowed on Mr Ahern the rare honour of an invitation to address the joint houses of the British parliament, said: "Bertie Ahern was a great Taoiseach, a leader for whom I had the greatest respect, admiration and friendship."
The former prime minister said Mr Ahern would "always be remembered for his crucial role in bringing about peace in Northern Ireland", as well as "for transforming relations between Britain and the Irish Republic and for presiding over a sustained period of economic and social advance in Ireland".
Mr Blair said Mr Ahern had also been "a key figure in Europe" who would have a deserved and central place in his nation's political history and much more widely: "A remarkable man with a remarkable record of achievement."
Lord Trimble, the former Ulster Unionist leader and now a Conservative peer, also paid warm tribute to the "non-tribal" Fianna Fáil leader who enabled the Belfast Agreement to happen "because he was prepared to be open-minded".
Jonathan Powell, who was Tony Blair's chief of staff at the time, said he believed history would be kind to Mr Ahern, who had "a remarkable record, not just on Northern Ireland, but in building a new relationship between Britain and Ireland".
Scottish first minister Alex Salmond paid tribute to Mr Ahern "as a steady friend of Scotland".