US and foreign leaders praise Jimmy Carter’s legacy

WASHINGTON: Joe Biden led US presidents and other world leaders in paying tribute to Jimmy Carter following the centenarian´s death.

The peace-making Nobel laureate haunted by the 1979 Iran hostage crisis arguably wielded his greatest influence not during his 1977-1981 White House term, but in the decades following as he served as a global mediator, rights activist and elder statesman.

“America and the world lost an extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian,” Biden said in a statement Sunday. He added in a televised address that Carter “lived a life measured not by words, but by his deeds.”

“We´d all do well to try and be a little more like Jimmy Carter.” President-elect Donald Trump said Americans owe Carter “a debt of gratitude.” “The challenges Jimmy faced as president came at a pivotal time for our country and he did everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans,” he said on social media.

Former US president Bill Clinton said his predecessor had “worked tirelessly for a better, fairer world.” George W Bush meanwhile said Carter “dignified the office. And his efforts to leave behind a better world didn´t end with the presidency.”

Barack Obama hailed Carter for teaching “all of us what it means to live a life of grace, dignity, justice and service.” The 39th US president “was early to recognise that protecting our shared planet and promoting global public health were vital to national security interests,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

Pope Francis “was saddened to learn” of Carter´s death, recalling his “firm commitment, motivated by deep Christian faith, to the cause of reconciliation and peace between peoples, the defence of human rights and the welfare of the poor and those in need,” said Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state.