Statement by the Secretary-General on the passing of U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy

I mark with sadness the passing of U.S. Senator Edward Moore Kennedy, who stood so firmly for so many of the principles of the United Nations. Few were stronger supporters of the UN, and in my visits to Capitol Hill I always benefitted from his wise counsel. He was not just a friend to those of power and high position, but even more to those who had neither. He was a voice for those who would otherwise go unheard, a defender of the rights and interests of the defenseless. Those who feel that government can too often be faceless and inhumane did not know Senator Kennedy. He stood for the best in all of us, and he will be missed. I extend my deepest sympathies to his family and salute Senator Kennedy's memory and enormous legacy.