World leaders pay tribute to Ronald Reagan

Former US President Ronald Reagan was remembered across Europe for his role in breaking down Cold War divisions on the continent and opening the path to independence for Soviet bloc nations.

Russians recalled Reagan's tough rhetoric and how he launched a withering arms race that precipitated the collapse of the Soviet Union, which Reagan famously dubbed an "evil empire".

Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev hailed Reagan as a great US president and said he was distraught by news of his death Saturday at age 93.

"I take very hard the death of Ronald Reagan, a man whom by fate sat with me in perhaps the most difficult years at the end of the 20th century," Gorbachev told reporters yesterday.

Throughout the nations of the former Soviet bloc, Reagan is seen by many as the American president who stared down Moscow and won, clearing the way for their independence amid the 1991 Soviet breakup.

But Arab nations looked back on Reagan's administration as a dark period. The Reagan years marked the beginning of what Leban-on's culture minister, Ghazi Aridi, called a "bad era" of US-Mideast policy that continues to this day.

Despite Reagan's often-forceful statements against the Soviet Union, Gorbachev said he also had a personal warmth that bolstered their relations.

"In terms of human qualities, he and I had, you would say, communicativeness and this helped us carry on normally," Gorbachev said. Reagan's famed Star Wars missile defence programme drew the Soviets into a costly arms race they couldn't afford.

Those were years, Gorbachev said, "when everyone felt that we lived under the threat of nuclear conflict".

In Berlin, Johannes Rau, president of the now-united Germany, said Reagan's challenge to Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall will "remain unforgettable".

In the June 1987 speech, Reagan stood before the concrete and barbed wire dividing the city and said: "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall", thus marking the climax of Cold War rhetoric and daring the reform-minded Soviet leader to pressure East Germany's Stalinist regime.

"In a divided world he always upheld our common vision of a united and peaceful Europe," Rau said in a statement.

Lech Walesa, whose Solidarity union led the struggle against communist rule in Poland, said that Reagan was a "modest" person whose opposition to communism was firmly rooted in a deeper hatred for inequity.

"When he saw injustice, he wanted to do away with it," said Walesa, Poland's first post-communist president. "He saw communism, and he wanted to put an end to it."

Pope John Paul II, who worked closely with the Reagan White House in the 1980s to bring down communism in his native Poland, received the news of his death with "sadness", a spokesman said yesterday.

In Japan, Yasuhiro Nakasone, who served as Japan's prime minister from 1982 to 1987, hailed Reagan as an "indispensable friend of the Japanese people".

"He was a great president who guided the Cold War toward a victory for freedom against communism. I attended five (Group of Seven) summits with him, and he would use his skillful humour and leadership to steer them to success."

Former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, who with his wife joined the Reagans in crooning When Irish Eyes are Smiling at a summit in Quebec in the 1980s, called Reagan's death "a great loss for the United States and the world".

"He was an absolutely marvellous human being and a great and historic leader who will be remembered very favourably," Mulroney said.

Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher – Reagan's ideological soul mate and close friend – called Reagan "a truly great American hero".

Thatcher, Reagan's conservative counterpart across the Atlantic in the 1980s, invoked the "millions of men and women who live in freedom today because of the policies he pursued".

"Ronald Reagan had a higher claim than any other leader to have won the Cold War for liberty and he did it without a shot being fired," she said.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair wrote to Reagan's wife, Nancy, and to US President George W. Bush to express his condolences. "President Reagan will be remembered as a good friend of Britain," Blair's office said.

French President Jacques Chirac said Reagan "will leave a profound mark on history".

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi expressed regret that Reagan died without ever standing trial for 1986 air strikes he ordered that killed Gaddafi's adopted daughter and 36 other people.

Reagan ordered the April 15, 1986, air raid in response to a disco bombing in Berlin allegedly ordered by Gaddafi that killed two US soldiers and a Turkish woman and injured 229 people.

"I express my deep regret because Reagan died before facing justice for his ugly crime that he committed in 1986 against the Libyan children," Libya's official JANA news agency quoted Gaddafi as saying.

Speaking to AP in Beirut, Aridi, Lebanon's culture minister, noted the Reagan administration's support of Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon, which ended in May 2000, and that current US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld also served under Reagan.

"Rumsfeld was part of Reagan's administration, this means that his policy is still going on," said Aridi, of the Druse Progressive Socialist Party.

American interests were hit hard in Lebanon during Reagan's administration, and areas controlled by Aridi's party came under heavy US shelling in 1983.

In Syria, which has had tense relations with the US for decades, political analyst and former Syrian ambassador to the United Nations, Haitham al-Kilani, said: "Reagan's role was bad for the Arab-Israeli conflict and was specifically against Syria. He was the victim of the Israeli right wing that was, and still is, dominating the White House."

Tributes to Reagan poured in from across Asia, with past and present leaders hailing the former US president as a friend, a "pillar of world stability" and pivotal in the defeat of communism.

"Reagan was a great president. He restored the faith of Americans in America, in American values and ideals," said Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister Tony Tan. Afghan President Hamid Karzai praised anti-communist Reagan for sending financial aid and weapons to Afghanistan to aid its resistance of the 1979-1989 Soviet occupation.

World grieves loss of Reagan

Former U.S. President Ronald Reagan was remembered as "a truly great American hero", for his warmth, for restoring America's greatness after the Viet Nam War.

Reagan died Saturday after a 10-year battle with Alzheimer's disease. He was 93.

"He will be missed not only by those who knew him and not only by the nation that he served so proudly and loved so deeply, but also by millions of men and women who live in freedom today because of the policies he pursued," said former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Reagan's ideological soulmate and close friend.

Thatcher described Reagan as "a truly great American hero."

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder remembered Reagan as a leader who "will always be revered" in Germany.

Elsewhere in Russia, Reagan was remembered for his tough rhetoric and for launching a costly arms race that precipitated the collapse of the Soviet Union.

"Reagan bolstered the U.S. military might to ruin the Soviet economy, and he achieved his goal," said Gennady Gerasimov, who served as top spokesman for the Soviet Foreign Ministry during the 1980s.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II was "saddened by the news" of his death, a Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair wrote to Reagan's wife, Nancy Davis Reagan, and to Bush to express his condolences, his office said.

"At home his vision and leadership restored national self-confidence and brought some significant changes to U.S. politics while abroad the negotiation of arms control agreements in his second term and his statesman-like pursuit of more stable relations with the Soviet Union helped bring about the end of the Cold War," a statement said.

A statement issued by the office of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said the government "shares in the grief of the U.S. administration and expresses its condolences to the American people."

"President Reagan, of blessed memory, was a friend of the State of Israel," the statement said. "During his tenure as U.S. President, bilateral relations were based on cooperation and understanding."

The office of Israeli President Moshe Katsav also issued a statement praising Reagan's efforts "to both increase global stability and to preserve universal human values, which are his legacy to future generations."

"President Katsav said that we esteem U.S. President Reagan's friendship and support for the State and people of Israel, which continued during and after his terms in office," the statement said.

Former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney called Reagan's death "a great loss for the United States and the world."

"He was an absolutely marvelous human being and a great and historic leader who will be remembered very favorably," Mulroney said.

Current Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin honored Reagan's leadership.

"His wit, warmth and unique capacity to communicate helped to make him one of the most influential figures in the second half of the 20th century," Martin said.

French President Jacques Chirac expressed sadness at Reagan's death.

"He salutes the memory of a great man of state who, through the force of his convictions and his commitment in favor of democracy, will leave a profound mark on history," Chirac's office said.

Former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser, whose last two years as leaders coincides with the first two years in office for Reagan said Reagan made America "proud" again.

"It wasn't until Ronald Reagan came along that America again felt proud ... He gave America back her pride after the end of the Viet Nam War."

Former Japanese Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone, known for his close ties with Reagan, described the former president him as Japan's best friend.

"He respected Japan and Japanese culture. He was Japan's best friend," said Nakasone in a statement, according to Jiji Press.

"I would like to offer my sincerest prayer," he said. "He was a great president who led liberalism to a victory against communism in the Cold War," Nakasone said.

Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister Tony Tan said Reagan left a global legacy of freedom and democracy.

"On behalf of Singapore... I would like to extend our deepest condolences to his wife and family and to the people of the U.S.," Tan said.

"Mr Reagan was a great president. He restored the faith of Americans in America, in American values and ideals ... He will leave a lasting legacy not only on the U.S. but in his commitment to freedom, liberty and democracy and in his belief in as he said: 'the magic of the free market'."

"He has left an impact not only on the United States but on the whole world."

Reagan Mourned in Former 'Evil Empire'

Vladimir Isachenkov and Jim Heintz/AP

He stunned the Soviet Union with his tough rhetoric, calling it an "evil empire" whose leaders gave themselves the "right to commit any crime." His famed "Star Wars" program drew the Soviets into a costly arms race they couldn't afford. His 1987 declaration to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev at the Berlin Wall -- "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall" -- was the ultimate challenge of the Cold War.

Ronald Reagan's determination to destroy communism and the Soviet Union was a hallmark of his eight-year presidency, carried out through a harsh nuclear policy toward Moscow that softened only slightly when Gorbachev came to office.

Reagan, who died Saturday at the age of 93, is vividly remembered in Russia today as the force that precipitated the Soviet collapse.

"Reagan bolstered the U.S. military might to ruin the Soviet economy, and he achieved his goal," said Gennady Gerasimov, who served as top spokesman for the Soviet Foreign Ministry during the 1980s.

Reagan's agenda toward Moscow started shortly after the start of his first term -- and marked a major departure from the mild detente of the Jimmy Carter administration.

In 1981, Reagan backed his rhetoric with a trillion dollar defense buildup. U.S.-Soviet arms control talks collapsed, and the two nations targeted intermediate-range nuclear missiles at each other across the Iron Curtain in Europe.

The deployment of the U.S. missiles in Europe rattled the Kremlin's nerves, because of the shorter time they needed to reach targets in the Soviet Union compared to intercontinental missiles deployed in the United States.

In an even bigger shock to the Kremlin, Reagan in 1983 launched an effort to build a shield against intercontinental ballistic missiles involving space-based weapons.

The Strategic Defense Initiative, or SDI, dubbed "Star Wars," dumped the previous doctrine of Mutual Assured Destruction that assumed that neither side would start a nuclear war because it would not be able to avoid imminent destruction.

Even though Reagan's "Star Wars" never led to the deployment of an actual missile shield, it drew the Soviets into a costly effort to mount a response. Many analysts agree that the race drained Soviet coffers and triggered the economic difficulties that sped up the Soviet collapse in 1991.

"Reagan's SDI was a very successful blackmail," Gerasimov said in an interview. "The Soviet Union tried to keep up pace with the U.S. military buildup, but the Soviet economy couldn't endure such competition."

Gorbachev said Sunday he was distressed by Reagan's death.

"I take very hard the death of Ronald Reagan, a man whom by fate sat with me in perhaps the most difficult years at the end of the 20th century," Gorbachev told reporters at the Gorbachev Foundation, a non-governmental analytical institute that he has run since 1992.

Despite Reagan's often-forceful statements against the Soviet Union, Gorbachev said he also had a personal warmth that bolstered their relations. "In terms of human qualities, he and I had, you would say, communicativeness, and this helped us carry on normally," Gorbachev said.

"But when you talk about friendly relations in politics, it's not the friendship of schoolmates, of the Arbat," he said.

"I deem Ronald Reagan a great president, with whom the Soviet leadership was able to launch a very difficult but important dialogue," Gorbachev said earlier Sunday on Ekho Moskvy radio, Interfax reported.

Gorbachev was quoted as calling Reagan "a statesman who, despite all disagreements that existed between our countries at the time, displayed foresight and determination to meet our proposals halfway and change our relations for the better."

Gorbachev listed Reagan's accomplishments as helping to "stop the nuclear race, start scrapping nuclear weapons, and arrange normal relations between our countries."

"I do not know how other statesmen would have acted at that moment, because the situation was too difficult. Reagan, whom many considered extremely rightist, dared to make these steps, and this is his most important deed," he was quoted as saying.

Yelena Bonner, the widow of Soviet dissident Nobel Peace Prize winner Andrei Sakharov, praised Reagan for his tough course toward the Soviet Union.

"I consider Ronald Reagan one of the greatest U.S. presidents since the World War II because of his staunch resistance to communism and his efforts to defend human rights," Bonner said in a telephone interview from her home in Boston. "Reagan's policy was consistent and precise, and he had a great talent of choosing the right people for his administration." Former Soviet dissident Vladimir Bukovsky, 61, remembered Reagan fondly for his humor and his toughness. "His phrase, 'evil empire,' became a household word in Russia," said Bukovsky, who now lives in Cambridge, England. "Russians like a straightforward person, be he enemy or friend. They despise a wishy-washy person."

Retired General Vladimir Dvorkin said that trying to field a response to Reagan's Star Wars had "certainly contributed" to the Soviet economic demise but argued it didn't play the decisive role.

"The Soviet economy was extremely inefficient and nothing could save it," said Dvorkin, a senior Soviet arms control negotiator during the 1980s.

But Bonner said her husband -- who had played a key role in designing Soviet nuclear weapons -- believed that deploying U.S. missiles in Europe was necessary to bring the Soviet rulers back to the arms control talks. In December 1987, Reagan and Gorbachev signed a treaty that for the first time eliminated the entire class of intermediate-range missiles.

"Reagan and Gorbachev helped end the Cold War," Gerasimov said.

Associated Press writer Gerald Nadler in New York contributed to this report.

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2004/06/07/003.html

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