Dalai Lama condoles demise of fellow Nobel Laureate John Hume

DHARAMSALA, 4 Aug: The Tibetan spiritual leader, His Holiness the Dalai Lama as has offered his condolences over the demise of fellow Nobel laureate and veteran civil rights campaigner John Hume. The Dalai Lama has stated in a missive addressed to his widow Patricia Hume expressing his condolences that her late husband “set an example for all of us to follow.” “His deep conviction in the power of dialogue and negotiations to resolve the conflict was unwavering. It was his leadership and his faith in the power of negotiations that enabled the 1998 Good Friday Agreement to be reached. His steady persistence set an example for all of us to follow,” the missive read. The Tibetan Nobel Laureate has further stated that Mr Hume “lived a meaningful life” and asserted that “Hume’s dedication to peace and nonviolence in the resolution of conflict, no matter how protracted or difficult it may seem to be, will long survive him.” The prominent Northern Ireland politician passed away aged 83 in the early hours of Monday morning in a care home in his native Londonderry having suffered dementia for several years. He was widely admired for his steadfast commitment to peaceful, democratic politics during three decades of violence in Northern Ireland, was jointly awarded the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize with David Trimble for their efforts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict in Northern Ireland. Hume played a major role in the peace talks, which led to the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.