WASHINGTON, March 16: The Search for Common Ground - a non-profit NGO of Austria - has announced 'Common Ground International Diplomacy Award' for President General Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee of India this year , "for their courageous commitment to re-launch a peace process between their two countries."

The awards are presented annually to recognize accomplishments in conflict resolution, community building, and peacemaking. An official announcement Tuesday said: "The recipients have made important contributions toward bridging the divides between people, finding solutions to seemingly intractable problems, and providing hope where there often was none." The award-presentation ceremony will be held at Austrian Embassy in Washington DC, on March 18. -APP