The latest on the death of former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, whose legacy includes a reuniting Germany after the Cold War and helping to create the continent’s common currency, the…
BERLIN (AP) – The latest on the death of former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, whose legacy includes a reuniting Germany after the Cold War and helping to create the continent’s common currency, the euro. (all times local) : 10 p.m. Former U. S. Secretary of State James Baker says Helmut Kohl’s death means « Germany has lost one of its greatest leaders, the United States has lost one of its best friends and the world has lost a ringing voice for freedom. » Baker, who served as America’s top diplomat from 1989 to 1992, said Kohl « more than anyone at the end of the Cold War (…) was the architect of the reunification of Germany. » In a statement Friday, Baker said the undoing the decades-long division of Germany had « brought freedom to millions and has helped make Europe safer and more prosperous. » Baker said Kohl and former U. S. President George H. W. Bush « convinced the world to put East and West Germany back together as a member of NATO almost a half century after the division of Europe following World War II. » Kohl died Friday at 87. ___ 9: 30 p.m. The United Nations says Secretary-General Antonio Guterres learned « with great sadness » of the death of former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, who « helped set a course for the historic process of Europe’s political and economic integration. » Guterres said Kohl played « an instrumental role » in Germany’s peaceful reunification and « today’s Europe is a product of his vision and his tenacity, in the face of enormous obstacles. » U. N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Guterres, a former prime minister of Portugal, extends his condolences to Kohl’s family and the government and the people of Germany. Kohl, 87, died Friday at his home in Ludwigshafen, Germany. ___ 8: 45 p.m. French President Emmanuel Macron says former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl was « one of the great men of Europe and the free world » and that he « forged the unity of Europe » with former French President Francois Mitterrand. In a statement Friday, Macron’s office said: « A reformer, a visionary and a unifier, Helmut Kohl marked our collective history. » Macron added that Europe’s open borders, shared euro currency and the beginnings of collective European defense « owe a lot to Helmut Kohl. » Kohl died Friday at age 87. ___ 8: 15 p.m. Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered Russia’s condolences on the death of former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl. In a message Friday on the Kremlin’s website, Putin credited Kohl for « playing a key role in putting an end to the Cold War and the reunification of Germany. » In the message to Chancellor Angela Merkel and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Putin says « I genuinely admired his wisdom, his ability to make balanced, far-reaching decisions even in the most difficult situations. » He says Kohl « will be remembered in Russia as a staunch advocate of a friendly relationship between our countries. » Putin was a KGB officer in communist East Germany when Kohl spearheaded the reunification of East Germany and West Germany. Kohl died Friday at 87. ___ 8 p.m. Martin Schulz, the Social Democratic Party’s challenger to Chancellor Angela Merkel in Germany’s September election, says despite their political differences, former Chancellor Helmut Kohl deserves « respect and recognition » for his accomplishments. Schulz said Friday that Kohl, under whom Merkel served as a cabinet minister, was a « great European » who had forged a historic path for Germany and Europe. He says « Helmut Kohl was the chancellor of German reunification; in 1989 it was thanks to his spirit, his political courage and his leadership that the restoration of German unity was made possible. » Schulz says « Kohl’s vision of a European Germany, which guided this great statesman in the reunification just as much as the Treaty of Maastricht, is a legacy to the German nation and to all of Europe. » Kohl died Friday at age 87. ___ 7: 50 p.m. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the death of former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl means that Israel has lost one of its « greatest friends. » Netanyahu said in a statement Friday that « Kohl was the leader who united Germany with a determined and steady hand. » He says « among the State of Israel’s greatest friends, he was completely dedicated to its security. » Netanyahu says he sends « condolences to the Kohl family and to the German people. » Kohl, known for presiding over the unification of Germany after the Berlin Wall fell, died Friday at age 87. ___ 7: 45 p.m. Former U. S. President George H. W. Bush says he is mourning « the loss of a true friend of freedom » in former Chancellor Helmut Kohl, remembering how they worked together to help bring an end to the Cold War. Bush said in a statement Friday that he considered Kohl « one of the greatest leaders in post-war Europe. » He says Kohl « hated war, but he detested totalitarianism even more » and so devoted his life to strengthening democracy in West Germany. He says « working closely with my very good friend to help achieve a peaceful end to the Cold War and the unification of Germany within NATO will remain one of the great joys of my life. Throughout our endeavors, Helmut was a rock – both steady and strong. » Kohl died Friday at age 87. ___ 7: 25 p.m. German Chancellor Angela Merkel says Helmut Kohl was « the right man at the right time » when the winds of change began sweeping through Eastern Europe in the 1980s. Merkel says Kohl understood that there was a « historic chance » to overcome Germany’s decades-long division and seized it. Kohl, the physically imposing German chancellor who reunified a nation divided by the Cold War, died Friday at 87. Speaking in Rome late Friday, Merkel said her predecessor’s skillful statesmanship won over Germany’s neighbors and ensured a peaceful reunification. Merkel, who grew up in communist East Germany, said her own life had changed markedly because of Kohl’s actions, for which she was deeply grateful. ___ 7 p.m. German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel says former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl was « a great statesman, a great German politician and most of all, a great European. » Gabriel said in a statement Friday that Kohl « did a lot not just to make German reunification happen, but also for European integration.
