SECRETARY-GENERAL DEEPLY SADDENED AT DEATH OF LEOPOLD SEDAR-SENGHOR, FIRST PRESIDENT OF SENEGAL

SECRETARY-GENERAL DEEPLY SADDENED AT DEATH OF LEOPOLD SEDAR-SENGHOR,

FIRST PRESIDENT OF SENEGAL

Following is a statement issued today by the Spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan on the death of Leopold Sedar-Senghor:

The Secretary-General was deeply saddened to learn of the death of Leopold Sedar-Senghor, the first President of Senegal and the father of Senegalese democracy.  President Sedar-Senghor led Senegal with wisdom and distinction for two decades, from its birth as an independent nation -- a crucial period not only for his country, but for Africa as a whole.  He stood out as a leader committed to peace, justice, development and education, and laid the foundation for what was to become Senegal’s tradition of democratic and peaceful transfer of power.

As a statesman and a co-founder of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), Leopold Sedar-Senghor was a tireless pioneer of cooperation on the African continent.  As an intellectual and a poet, he was a powerful champion of African dignity and an advocate of dialogue among civilizations.  The Secretary-General extends his deepest condolences to Leopold Sedar-Senghor’s family and loved ones, as well as to the Government and people of Senegal, and joins several generations of Africans and poetry-lovers around the world in giving thanks for his life.

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