Mourning in America and around the world

NY Daily News ^ | June 06 2004 | ELLEN TUMPOSKY and MAKI BECKER

[knighthawk]

Cold-war hero for defeat of communism

Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was among the first world leaders yesterday to mourn Ronald Reagan, saying the conservative and charming former President will go down in history for winning the Cold War "without a shot being fired." Having once called the late President "the second most important man in my life," Thatcher issued her condolence statement last night, about two hours after the sad news was reported that Reagan had died.

"President Reagan was one of my closest political — and dearest personal — friends," said Thatcher, who was also the first world leader to visit Reagan after he became President.

The news of the Cold War hero's death came yesterday as many leaders prepared for today's D-Day commemorations. Former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban recalled Reagan's role in bringing democracy to the other side of the Iron Curtain.

"Hungary and Europe do not forget Ronald Reagan's help and his support for the former Communist countries," Orban said.

French President Jacques Chirac — who had just dined with President Bush at the at the Elysée Palace in Paris yesterday before Reagan's death was announced — called Reagan "a great statesman who through the strength of his convictions and his commitment to democracy will leave a deep mark in history."

In Boston, Yelena Bonner, the widow of Soviet dissident Nobel Prize winner Andrei Sakharov, declared 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."

She praised the late President, saying his "policy was consistent and precise, and he had a great talent of choosing the right people for his administration." Thatcher had been an ideological equal to Reagan, and the two leaders forged a close alliance during their terms in office.

In 1982, the President backed Thatcher in Britain's 74-day war with Argentina over the Falkland Islands.

But he drew rare criticism from Thatcher the following year when he sent U.S. troops to invade the Caribbean island of Grenada.

However, Thatcher reiterated yesterday a prediction that Reagan's lasting legacy would be winning the Cold War.

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

She continued: "To have achieved so much, against such odds, and with such humor and humanity, made Ronald Reagan a truly great American hero."

Now 78, Thatcher herself has battled health problems. She has suffered a series of small strokes and is rarely seen in public. It was unclear yesterday whether she would be well enough to attend his funeral, which will be held in Washington, D.C.

"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," she said. Thatcher wrote in her memoirs, "The Downing Street Years," that she first met Reagan when she was a leader of the opposition and he was still governor of California and was drawn to his "warmth, charm and complete lack of affectation."

She wrote in the book: "Above all, I knew that I was talking to someone who instinctively felt and thought as I did."

Also in England, Palace spokesman reported that Queen Elizabeth was "saddened" by Reagan's death.

[knighthawk]

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[GOPJ]

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