The US on Wednesday conferred its highest civilian honour on three 'true friends' former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, ex-Australian Premier John Howard and Colombian President Alvaro Uribe for telling the 'truth' and keeping 'their word'.
The US on Wednesday conferred its highest civilian honour on three 'true friends' former British Prime Minister Tony Blair,u00a0ex-Australian Premier John Howard and Colombian President Alvaro Uribe for telling the 'truth' and keeping 'their word'.
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The three leaders received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from American President George W Bush at a ceremony at the White House here.
Referring to each of them as 'a true friend of the United States', the President said that they had met "historic challenges with great tenacity" and provided a "lasting example of statesmanship at home and abroad".
"They're the sort of guys who look you in the eye and tell you the truth and keep their word," Bush said during his final scheduled event at the White House.
"I'm pleased to award the Medal of Freedom to three extraordinary leaders," Bush said.
Blair, who is now the special envoy to the Middle East and Howard were Bush's staunchest allies in the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq.
Referring to the September 11, 2001 attacks, Bush said that Blair "was there in a moment of trial to affirm the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom," and added that under his leadership Britain fought against terror "from the first day".
Praising Howard, Bush said that he was 'a Man of Steel', who "never wavered in his support for liberty".
The White House's East Room was filled with leading players, past and present in the Bush administration, including Vice-President Dick Cheney, former defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and his deputy Paul Wolfowitz and former secretary of state Colin Powell.
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