Europe pays homage to Helmut Kohl, 'a true European'

Strasbourg - 1 July 2017:Around 20 political leaders from around Europe and former US president Bill Clinton joined mourners at a ceremony in Strasbourg Saturday to pay hommage to the late German chancellor Helmut Kohl at the European Parliament.

Kohl died on June 16 at age 87 and his coffin draped with the flag of the European Union was placed in the chamber of the EU legislature in tribute to the leader known as the father of German reunification.

Serving as chancellor from 1982 to 1998, Kohl was also an architect of the expansion of the EU.

"Helmut Kohl was a true European and a friend. Europe owes him a lot," European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, the only current leader in Europe to have worked alongside him.

Kohl's "legacy in Europe is enormous," he said, adding he was speaking primarily as a friend of the German political giant.