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29 December 2006
World Leaders Remember Former U.S. President Gerald Ford
Statements of condolence and respect issued from around the globe
Washington -- Heads of state from around the world are offering tributes in memory of former U.S. President Gerald R. Ford, who died December 26 at age 93 in Rancho Mirage, California.
During Ford’s brief presidency (August 9, 1974 – January 20, 1977), he “provided calm leadership and healing to a nation troubled by [domestic] … and international challenges,” said Australian Prime Minister John Howard in a prepared statement.
Ford served as the United States’ 38th president after his predecessor, Richard Nixon, resigned in the wake of the Watergate scandal. Many historians have hailed Ford as a stabilizing influence at a time of great national turmoil.
Because he was instrumental in helping his country move past the trauma of the Watergate era, “President Ford will be remembered as a forthright and decent man who safely guided the United States of America in troubled times,” Howard added.
French President Jacques Chirac, in his letter of condolence to President Bush, described Ford as a “great statesman who, after a long congressional career, was -- in difficult circumstances -- called on in 1974 to assume the highest responsibilities and to embody national unity.” Chirac also cited Ford’s “great moral qualities and his political courage.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a message of condolence to Bush, as well. “We remember [Ford] as a major political leader who made a considerable personal contribution to the development of mutually beneficial dialogue and consolidation of bilateral relations,” he said.
In a letter of condolence to Bush from Hungarian President László Sólyom, the Hungarian leader said that Ford’s death “is a great loss to the American people and [to] all of us who have appreciated his integrity and the substantial achievements of his long political career.”
Sólyom went on to praise Ford’s support for initiatives that eventually led to political reform in Central Europe. “We in Hungary remember Gerald R. Ford above all as the U.S. president who signed the Helsinki Accord, which paved the way for the long process of democratic changes and respect for basic human rights in our region,” he said. “While facing an extremely difficult domestic agenda, President Ford was an internationalist in foreign affairs convinced of the need for an active American role abroad.”
An unofficial translation of the condolence letter to Bush from South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun sounded a similar theme, reflecting on Ford’s influence in world affairs. “President Ford will always be remembered with deep appreciation by the Korean people for his contribution to the promotion of world peace and freedom and his efforts to further peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula as well as to strengthen the ROK [Republic of Korea]-U.S. alliance,” he said.
China’s President Hu Jintao and Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing also sent letters of condolence to Bush. “As a well-known American statesman, President Ford cared for and supported the development of [the] China-U.S. relationship and made positive efforts for the improvement of relations between our two great nations,” said the Chinese president. Both Hu and Li stated that “the Chinese people will forever cherish” the memory of Ford.
Prime Minister Bertie Ahern of Ireland, in a letter to Ford’s widow, saluted Ford’s accomplishments as both a president and a legislator. “President Ford was a true public servant who gave outstanding leadership to the United States as president, when he displayed a deep sense of duty and commitment to his country and his citizens,” Ahern wrote. “He was a man of conscience and courage whose distinguished service will be remembered and honored in the future.”
Prior to Ford’s tenure as president, “he served the people of the Fifth District of Michigan” for more than 25 years “and won many friends, on both sides of the aisle, though his work as a member of Congress,” Ahern recalled. In public remarks quoted by the Associated Press on December 28, Ahern also said Ford was “a great man” who “will be greatly missed.”
For additional information, see Gerald R. Ford: A Tribute.
(USINFO is produced by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
