UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday said former Israeli President Shimon Peres was a constant source of optimism, hope, and inspiration, who was always a voice of calm and reason.
Speaking at a ceremony here in honor of Peres, Ban said that throughout his tenure as UN secretary-general, he had the privilege to benefit from the wisdom of Peres.
"I join in the sorrow for loss. I had the privilege to benefit from his wisdom," Ban said. "His leadership will be missed as someone who worked to realize the dream of security and peace for Israel."
The secretary-general said that the former Israeli president's clear-eyed perspective -- of reaching across the table, of compromising with your neighbour, of finding common ground for the greater good -- has never been more needed. That kind of leadership is one that we long for -- and one that we will surely miss.
Peres, Israel's former president and prime minister, died early on Wednesday morning in a hospital near Tel Aviv after spending two weeks in induced coma following a stroke. He was 93.
The Israeli Mission to the United Nations held a memorial ceremony at UN headquarters in New York to commemorate Peres, the ninth president of the State of Israel. Ban and ambassadors from more than 40 countries gathered at the ceremony to show their final respects for the man who often represented Israel on the global stage over the past 60 years.
The Israeli UN Mission also opened a condolence book for the ambassadors to share their thoughts in memory of President Peres. The book will later be available to the general public, the mission said.
