UN Mourns Boutros Boutros-Ghali

New York, 08 Jumadal Awwal 1437/17 February 2016 (MINA) – United Nations’ community mourns a memorable leader who rendered invaluable services to world peace and international order, said UN Chief on Tuesday.

Expressing his sadness over the death of Boutros Boutros-Ghali, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon told the press that the he was a respected statesman in the service of his country, Egypt, Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) reported, quoting KUNA.

“He was a well-known scholar of international law and brought formidable experience and intellectual power to the task of piloting the United Nations through one of the most tumultuous and challenging periods in its history, and guiding the Organization of the Francophonie in subsequent years,” he added.

Speaking of his predecessor, Ban said that Boutros-Ghali as Secretary General, has presided over a dramatic rise in UN peacekeeping. He also presided over a time when the world increasingly turned to the United Nations for solutions to its problems, in the immediate aftermath of the cold war, he added.

“Boutros Boutros-Ghali did much to shape the Organization’s response to this new era, in particular through his landmark report (An Agenda for Peace) and the subsequent agendas for development and democratization,” he noted.

He showed courage in posing difficult questions to the Member States, and rightly insisted on the independence of his office and of the Secretariat as a whole. His commitment to the United Nations – its mission and its staff — was unmistakable, and the mark he has left on the Organization is indelible, he said.

Ban extended his deepest condolences to the family of the late Boutros-Ghali, as well as to the Egyptian people, and to the late Secretary General’s many friends and admirers around the world. (T/R07/R01)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)