Friday, May 13 2005 21:55 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: The American Government today (May 13, 2005) honoured four students from a school in Haryana, whose website has won the prestigious 'Doors to Diplomacy' award of the US Department of State.

At a ceremony in New Delhi, US Embassy Charge d'Affaires Robert O' Blake congratulated the four students of Ryan International School, Gurgaon for their "professional and technically sophisticated website, with useful and well-researched information."

On behalf of the US Embassy, Blake presented the students a congratulatory letter stating that their entry, www.effortsunited.com, combines impressive technical talent, strong research, philosophical sophistication and a drive to better understand the causes and consequences of terrorism.

The award-winning website, created by Alisha Chaudhry, Smriti Jaggi, Rewan Rai Parti and Wishal Rampal, dealt with the issues of violence and terrorism and was the top international entry for 2005 out of a field of 293 entries from 39 countries.

The award to the website was announced on May 10 in Washington.

"The US and India are allies in combating terrorism. We are both victims of terrorism and combat it throughout the world. As you rightly point out, it will take cooperation on a global scale to address the causes of terrorism," Blake said in the letter.

The students presented a demonstration of their website to Blake, in the presence of their principal Madhuri Parti.