Global perspective Human stories

Annan mourns death of US Senator Paul Wellstone in plane crash

Annan mourns death of US Senator Paul Wellstone in plane crash

UN Affairs

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan mourned the death today of United States Senator Paul Wellstone in a plane crash over Minnesota, remembering him as a “profoundly decent” man and a friend of the UN.

“The sudden and tragic death of Sen. Wellstone, along with his wife, his daughter and several campaign workers, comes as a personal shock to me,” the Secretary-General said in a statement released in New York.

The Senator had been among the first to greet him on his initial visit to Washington as Secretary-General in 1997, Mr. Annan said, “and joined me on two occasions when I visited his home state of Minnesota.”

“He was a profoundly decent man, a man of principle, a man of conscience,” the Secretary-General said. “His passing is a loss not only for his family, friends and constituents, but also for friends of the United Nations.”

“I send my heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones he leaves behind,” he added.