WORLD LEADERS TRIBUTE TO KENNEDY

World leaders lionized U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy on Wednesday as a towering figure in American politics, praising his dedication to causes ranging from health care reform to peace in Northern Ireland.

• The senator from Massachusetts inspired praise from leaders of nations and campaigners for human rights, and many expressed sadness at learning of his death Tuesday from a brain tumor.
  
• Tributes poured in, particularly from U.S President Barrack Obama, Britain and Ireland, in recognition of Kennedy's role in the Northern Ireland peace process.
• Lord Owen, who served as British foreign secretary in the 1970s, said Kennedy was "the most influential senator" in the United States.
• He said Kennedy had put his weight behind peace in Northern Ireland even at the risk of alienating powerful Irish-American allies, whose sympathies lay with the province's Catholic Irish nationalists rather than the British Protestant majority.
• Initially a strong supporter of the Irish nationalist cause, Kennedy was a key American promoter of the peace process, urging Britain to negotiate with the IRA-linked party Sinn Fein, and also reaching out to Protestant Unionists.
• Irish President Mary McAleese said Kennedy would be remembered "as a hugely important friend to this country during the very difficult times.
• In Britain, Kennedy was praised for his indefatigable work on causes such as health care and judicial reform. Prime Minister Gordon Brown said "even facing illness and death, he never stopped fighting.Britain gave Kennedy an honorary knighthood earlier this year.
• In Australia, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said Kennedy "made an extraordinary contribution to American politics, an extraordinary contribution to America's role in the world."
• German Chancellor Angela Merkel voiced "deep sorrow" at Kennedy's death.
• Italian President Giorgio Napolitano said Kennedy "has left a deep mark and deserves the homage of all the free world."

Source: AP