CAMEROON, Cameroon — Two secretaries-general and diplomats from the world that Kofi Annan served for nearly 45 years paid tribute to him at the United Nations Friday, but the most moving words were from his wife and son who urged people everywhere to continue his fight for a fairer and peaceful planet. Annan’s widow, Nane, recalled sitting in the General Assembly hall the day he was elected secretary-general in December 1996. “The office of secretary-general is based on persuasive powers, and did he ever use his persuasive powers to the fullest,” she said. “We all make peace personal in honour of daddy.”Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who was chosen by then secretary-general Annan to be the U.N.’s refugee chief in 2005, recalled that Annan described the United Nations as the “last best hope of humanity.”“Throughout his tenure Kofi Annan urged us never to be bystanders in life. Riza, a Pakistani diplomat, said Annan — “the consummate U.N. insider” — was his first friend when he joined the organization in 1978.

Source: National Post September 22, 2018 04:22 UTC