SECRETARY-GENERAL SADDENED TO HEAR OF DEATH OF F.T. LIU

Following is the text of a statement issued today by the Office of the Spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan:

The Secretary-General is deeply saddened by the news of the death of

F.T. Liu, a very distinguished servant of the United Nations who was recruited by and worked closely with Ralph Bunche, and did much to ensure the continuation of Bunche's legacy.

Mr. Liu was a man of great kindness, as well as acute political judgement, who played a key role in many of the United Nations' most challenging missions from the 1950s to the 1980s -- including decolonization and the crises in the Congo, Cyprus and the Middle East.  The Secretary-General commented today that he had lost "a friend and valued colleague", who would be mourned by the whole United Nations family.

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