Mr Peter Sutherland has been awarded a British honour, an honorary KCMG, in recognition of his services to British trade and international business.
Mr Sutherland, who was chairman of British Petroleum in the late 1990s, oversaw what was then the largest industrial merger ever when the company merged with Amoco. He is a former head of the World Trade Organisation, director general of GATT, European Competition Commissioner and Attorney General.
The award is honorary, reflecting the fact that Mr Sutherland is neither a citizen of Britain nor of the Commonwealth. While Irish citizens have to seek Government approval to accept foreign awards, this does not apply to such honorary titles.
The British Foreign Secretary, Mr Jack Straw, who was in Dublin yesterday, said the award was richly deserved. Mr Sutherland's distinguished career spanned the fields of law, politics and business and his achievements had been felt far beyond Ireland - in Britain, Europe and on the international stage, he said. He had been a driving force in British business.
The award will be presented in London in early 2004. A minister or the British ambassador, rather than the queen, usually presents such honorary awards. The KCMG honour is that of a Knight Commander in the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George. These awards are conferred by the queen, on the advice of the Foreign and Commonwealth offices, on those who have made an important contribution to British interests overseas.
Mr Sutherland is currently chairman of the Foreign Economic Relations Committee of the European Round Table of Industrialists. He was the first European chairman of the Transatlantic Business Dialogue. He has been since 1995 chairman of Goldman Sachs International.