La edición 2008 de entrega de premios del Consejo Atlántico ha galardonado al ex primer ministro británico Tony Blair, por su liderazgo internacional; al presidente de News Corporation, Rupert Murdoch, por su liderazgo empresarial; y al almirante Mike Mullen, por su liderazgo  militar.

El Consejo Atlántico de Estados Unidos tiene entre sus objetivos el fomento del diálogo y la discusión acerca de asuntos de interés mundial de máxima importancia. Fred Kempe, quien ha ocupado varios cargos de responsabilidad en The Wall Street Journal, es el director de esta institución, con sede en Washington.

A comienzos de 2007, José María Aznar aceptó la invitación para formar parte del Comité Asesor Internacional del Consejo Atlántico. Junto a él también se incorporaron Alexander Kwasniewski; Thomas Enders, presidente de EADS (European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company); el presidente de Deutsche Bank, Josef Ackermann; y Zbignew Brzezinski, ex asesor del ex presidente de Estados Unidos Jimy Carter, entre otros.



Se reproducen las palabras de Aznar al presentar a Tony Blair:

 

It is a pleasure for me to be here to introduce one of the greatest world leaders and above all a wonderful person.

When we first met, it seemed unlikely that we would become friends.

Officially, he was a long life leftist. All my life I"ve been a conservative. He was outspoken. I was known for being shy and reserved. He once attempted to find fame as a rock star. My musical skills have a lot of room for improvement. But against all odds we have developed a real friendship throughout the years.

We soon realised that we shared the same values. That we had a similar vision of the world. That we believed in the importance of remaining true to your word.

We have shared moments of hope and moments of uncertainty. We always acted according to what we believed was right, true to our conscience and responsibilities.

The person I am here to introduce has never lost his sense of humour and optimism. And we have gone through difficult moments.

The best comment you can make about his ten years in office is that when he stepped down, his country was in a much healthier situation.

He modernised his own political party, preparing it to face the challenges ahead. He revamped the economy. He worked successfully for his vision of Europe. Dynamic and open, loyal to the real bond that unites us across the Atlantic: democracy, individual freedom, human rights and the rule of law. We shared an idea of Europe.

A free Europe, with an open economy, willing and able to take on responsibilities with its Atlantic friends. And he joined his allies to defend those values. I"ve always admired his dedication and hardwork. Whilst in office, he did something that had not been seen for the last 200 years- he found time to increase his family. Something that his colleagues around the world witnessed with great admiration.

Nonetheless, I must say that something was running in his favour. He is married to a woman of character, intelligent, courageous and devoted to her family. That might be one of the only two obvious things that we have in common.

The second one being that we belong to a very exclusive club- the one integrated by those who stepped down from power voluntarily.

Now he has been given the difficult task of representing the International Community in its effort to secure peace in the Middle East. I could not think of a more suitable person for the job. I am sure that he believes, that freedom is for everyone and that peace should be built upon the basis of respect for human rights and mutual tolerance.

And, as Pope Benedict Sixteenth has recently reminded us here in Washington, he believes that "freedom is ever new. It is a challenge held out to each generation, and it must constantly be won over for the cause of good".

The person I am talking about will also be devoting his future work to promote the understanding amongst major faiths- a real challenge in today"s world in which freedom, democracy and tolerance will only prevail if we win the battle of global values and ideas.

Therefore, on behalf of the Atlantic Council it is a great honour for me to introduce you to my good and unlikely friend, the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom: Mr Tony Blair