Sisi condoles UN’s Guterres over Kofi Annan’s death

CAIRO - 18 August 2018: President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi sent a telegram to the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres expressing his sincere condolences to the international community and the African continent over the death of former Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

“Annan’s life was a rich journey full of fruitful efforts to serve the genuine purpose of the United Nations and the international multilateral action,” presidency spokesperson Bassam Radi stated Saturday, asserting that his legacy will always remain a model of serving the humanity and upholding peace values.

Annan

, of Ghanaian nationality, died at the age of 80 at a hospital in Bern, Switzerland, in the early hours of Saturday, according to British news agency.

Secretary-General of Arab League Ahmed Abul Gheit

has mourned his death in a press statement, where he expressed his sincere condolences to the family of Annan, Ghanaian government and people.

Abul Gheit also sent a cable of condolences to Annan's wife and the Ghanaian government, expressing his appreciation for the great commitment shown by Annan in dealing with many international issues, especially those related to the developing nations and to finding solutions to major international crises and conflicts, during his tenure as Secretary-General of the United Nations.

Abul Gheit underscored that he met with Annan on several occasions during his tenure as a permanent representative of Egypt to the United Nations in New York.

Annan served two terms as U.N. Secretary-General in New York from 1997-2006 and retired to live in a Swiss village in the Geneva countryside. His 10-year-old foundation promotes good governance and transformation of African agriculture.

"In many ways, Kofi Annan was the United Nations. He rose through the ranks to lead the organization into the new millennium with matchless dignity and determination," U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, whom Annan had chosen to head the U.N. refugee agency, said in a statement.

As head of U.N. peacekeeping operations, Annan was criticized for the world body's failure to halt the genocide in Rwanda in the 1990s.

As U.N. boss he was linked to peace efforts to reunite the divided island of Cyprus, submitting a reunification blueprint which was rejected in a referendum by Greek Cypriots in 2004.