Dalai Lama condoles demise of fellow Nobel Laureate Lord David Trimble
DHARAMSALA, 27 July: The Tibetan spiritual leader, His Holiness the Dalai Lama as has offered his condolences over the demise of fellow Nobel Laureate Lord David Trimble.
“I pray for him and offer my heartfelt condolences to you and members of your family at this sad time,” the Dalai Lama has said in a missive addressed to Trimble’s widow Daphne Trimble.
The Dalai Lama has said in the letter to Mrs Trimble that “Your husband displayed vision, courage and a realistic approach in his efforts to find a mutually beneficial agreement that would bring peace to Northern Ireland”.
The octogenarian Tibetan leader has further commended former Northern Ireland’s first minister who was one of the architects of the Good Friday agreement
“As someone who firmly believes in pursuing dialogue and diplomacy to resolve differences among opposing parties, I consider the role he played in bringing about the Good Friday Agreement to have been an example of peace-making for our times”.
Recalling his meetings with the fellow Nobel laureate, the Dalai Lama has said that he had the good fortune to meet Trimble several times in Northern Ireland and elsewhere wherein he was able to express his “admiration for the contribution he had made to bringing peace to Northern Ireland”.
The Dalai Lama concluded by stating that “It will be a fitting tribute to Lord Trimble if we can continue to work to resolve differences in a spirit of understanding, accommodation and respect, keeping in mind that we are all part of the oneness of humanity.”
Trimble was jointly awarded the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize with late civil rights campaigner John Hume for their efforts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict in Northern Ireland which ended 30 years of conflict in the United Kingdom.
The prominent Northern Ireland politician passed away aged 77 on Monday following a short illness. He is survived by his wife, their two daughters and two sons.
