FORMER BRITISH prime minister Tony Blair last night paid a warm tribute to Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, saying " there is absolutely no job that this man could not do well". Mark Hennessy, Political Correspondent, reports.
Speaking before a dinner in Dublin Castle to honour Mr Blair's contribution to the Belfast Agreement, Mr Blair said Mr Ahern had helped to "transform" relations between Ireland and Britain.
The two men have been mentioned as possible candidates to fill the upcoming post of president of the Council of the European Union.
Asked about such speculation, Mr Blair said: "I don't think that I will get that one, except to say that there is absolutely no job that this man could not do well.
"He has been an absolutely brilliant taoiseach for the past 11 years and were they to offer it (to him) it would be great, but I think we will let the future take care of itself."
The two men met privately for 30 minutes before attending a dinner for the charity Turn The Tide, which raises funds for suicide prevention.
Speaking later, Mr Ahern said Ireland and the Irish people owed Mr Blair "a huge debt of gratitude" for his time and commitment over his 10 years in power. "Tony gave 10 years of his life and a huge part of his premiership to dedicating himself to the goal of peace," said Mr Ahern.
Mr Ahern said he was "always conscious" of the other pressures facing Mr Blair: "Tony had to deal with problems on the world stage. "I was always conscious that the UK is a big place when we spent so much time together.
"I was leading a small country - sometimes a very small country," he said.
Mr Blair warned that the success of the peace process and the restoration of Northern Ireland's political institutions should not be taken for granted.
"When we look back 10 years, there were times when things hung in the balance many times. Sometimes I did not think that it would work out," he said.
The Dublin Castle occasion, he said, was "a very special evening" for him: "It is a real pleasure and honour and great to be back in Dublin". Describing Mr Ahern as "my great friend, friend and partner and ally in peace", Mr Blair said he had shown "commitment and determination" in the search for peace.
Asked if he had any advice to offer Mr Ahern before he leaves office, Mr Blair said he would "not presume" to do so. "I know that he will do well." The two, he said, could, perhaps, find time to watch a Manchester United/Newcastle match.
Senator George Mitchell, who spent two years chairing inter-party talks in the lead-up to the Belfast Agreement, also attended the dinner.
"I can say with absolute certainty and from my own direct participation that without the personal efforts and leadership provided by Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern there would never have been a Good Friday agreement," said Senator Mitchell.
The two men, he said, had not "just supervised" the negotiations, "they conducted them, line by line, word by word" in "a superb act of leadership in a democratic society", he said.
In a speech later to the dinner guests, Mr Ahern said: "It has been a singular honour for me to have worked side by side with Tony Blair at Dublin Castle where we honour him, his achievements and his huge personal commitment to the cause of peace.
"It has been a singular honour for me to have worked side by side with Tony Blair on an age-old difficulty that for so long caused so much division.
"But I believe we can now face the future with considerable optimism that we have built a solid foundation for peace and prosperity on this island," said Mr Ahern.