London – April 2004. Mr Anthony Bailey, Delegate for Great Britain and Ireland of the Constantinian Order, has been honoured by three Arab nations in recognition of his contribution over many years to inter-church and inter-faith dialogue, and for furthering European-Arab relations.
Anthony Bailey, who was appointed Delegate in 2002, was invested with the Syrian Order of Outstanding Merit (First Class) in a ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Damascus on 21 March 2004. His Excellency Bashar al-Assad, President of the Syrian Arab Republic, presented Mr Bailey with the insignia and diploma on behalf of the Syrian people.
At a ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Beirut on 23 March 2004, His Excellency General Emile Lahoud, President of the Republic of Lebanon, decorated Mr Bailey with the insignia of Knight Commander of the National Order of the Cedar. This high award was made in recognition of Mr Bailey’s contribution to bilateral relations and for his charitable endeavour to Christian and Muslim communities in the Republic.
His Excellency Ali Abdullah Saleh, President of the Republic of Yemen, also bestowed on Mr Bailey at a ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Sana’a, the Order of Unification – 22 May in the grade of First Class with Collar. This award was made in appreciation of Mr Bailey’s contribution to furthering religious dialogue between Yemen and Europe, which in recent years has included exchange visits of Muslim leaders with their Christian counterparts across Europe.
In a letter dated 19 April 2004 from Buckingham Palace, Her Majesty The Queen granted Mr Bailey Unrestricted Permission to officially wear the decorations in the United Kingdom.
British and Irish Delegate Anthony Bailey said ‘ I am truly humbled by the high awards which have been bestowed on me by President al-Assad, President Lahoud and President Saleh. I have been engaging in worthy interfaith initiatives with many religious communities across the Arab world for many years now, and so to be recognised for this voluntary work is especially welcome from governments who are firmly committed to such activity.
“In accepting these honours, I did so on behalf of my many Christian, Muslim and Jewish friends and colleagues who have always supported me and worked with me on countless dialogue initiatives. This work is of the utmost importance and especially today when there is a considerable public perception that such dialogue and understanding has all but broken down”.