Ex-U.S. Secretary of State Albright given Swedish prize

STOCKHOLM (AFP) ― Former U.S. secretary of state Madeleine Albright will receive a prize in memory of assassinated Swedish prime minister Anna Lindh for her role as a “unique female leader,” the award’s organizers announced Tuesday.

The Anna Lindh prize, worth 150,000 Swedish kronor (17,000 euros, $23,000), is given to those who “help others and strive for a more humane and just world,” according to the Anna Lindh memorial fund, which bestows the honor.

Albright, 76, is “one of the most remarkable diplomats of our times... (She) was a colleague, friend and role model for Anna Lindh,” the fund said in a statement.

After being sworn in as the first female secretary of state on Jan. 23, 1997, Albright steered foreign policy for president Bill Clinton until he left office four years later.

She is credited with a key role in advancing the Middle East peace process and influencing America’s international policy on arms control and human rights.

Anna Lindh was murdered on Sept. 11, 2003 by a mentally ill young Swedish man, Mijailo Mihailovic, who was of Serb origin.

The prize will be officially awarded to Albright on Sept. 11, 2013, in a ceremony in Stockholm that marks the tenth anniversary of Lindh’s murder.

Albright will be present via video link.