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OTTAWA — Prime Minister Stephen Harper is being hailed as “World Statesman of the Year” by an American organization that previously feted Jean Chretien, British prime minister Gordon Brown and and Korean president Lee Myung-bak.

The award, for his work as “a champion of democracy, freedom and human rights,” comes from an organization called the Appeal of Conscience Foundation,

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The organization paying tribute to Harper was founded in 1965 by Rabbi Arthur Schneier. Its website says the Foundation has worked on behalf of religious freedom and human rights throughout the world.

Its board includes former U.S. president Bill Clinton and former U.S. secretaries of state Madeleine Albright, James Baker, retired general Colin Powell and George Schultz.

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“This interfaith coalition of business and religious leaders promotes peace, tolerance and ethnic conflict resolution,” says the website. “The Foundation believes that freedom, democracy and human rights are the fundamental values that give nations of the world their best hope for peace, security and shared prosperity.”