SECRETARY-GENERAL PROFOUNDLY SADDENED BY DEATH OF SYRIAN PRESIDENT
The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan:
The Secretary-General is profoundly saddened by the sudden death of President Hafez Al-Assad of Syria. The passing of President Assad is a great loss for the people of the Syrian Arab Republic, the Arab world and the region as a whole. The Secretary-General sends his heartfelt condolences to the family of President Assad and to the people of Syria.
On this sad occasion, the Secretary-General wishes to pay warm tribute to President Assad. He will be remembered as a statesman of great authority and as a person of firm and consistent principle, who led his country over decades through a period of much change and turbulence in the area.
In the Secretary-General's view, the death of President Assad underlines the urgency of the search for a comprehensive and lasting solution to the problems of the region.
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Document Type: Press Release, Secretary-General press release, Statement
Document Sources: Secretary-General, United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI)
Country: Syria
Subject: Middle East situation, Peace proposals and efforts
Publication Date: 10/06/2000