Washington: President Barack Obama led US tributes to late Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon on Saturday, remembering him as "a leader who dedicated his life to the State of Israel."
"On behalf of the American people, Michelle and I send our deepest condolences to the family of former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and to the people of Israel," a White House statement said.
"We reaffirm our unshakable commitment to Israel`s security. We continue to strive for lasting peace and security for the people of Israel, including through our commitment to the goal of two states living side-by-side in peace and security."
Sharon, who died in hospital near Tel Aviv aged 85 after eight years in a coma, was warmly remembered by US Secretary of State John Kerry, who said that the long-ill ex-premier was "finally at rest."
"I remember reading about Arik in the papers when I was a young lawyer in Boston and marveling at his commitment to cause and country," said Kerry, who is currently leading global efforts to reconcile Israelis and Palestinians.
"I will never forget meeting with this big bear of a man when he became prime minister as he sought to bend the course of history toward peace.
"In his final years as prime minister, he surprised many in his pursuit of peace, and today, we all recognize, as he did, that Israel must be strong to make peace, and that peace will also make Israel stronger," Kerry added.
The top US diplomat called current Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to offer his condolences, the State Department said, but he will not attend the funeral due to his previously scheduled meetings in Paris on the Syria conflict.
The US delegation at the funeral, which army radio said would take place Monday at Sharon`s southern ranch, will be led by Vice President Joe Biden, the White House said earlier.
Sharon was also praised in a joint statement by former US president Bill Clinton and wife Hillary, Kerry`s predecessor as secretary of state.
"Ariel Sharon gave his life to Israel -- to bring it into being, to sustain and preserve it, and at the end of his long service, to create a new political party committed to both a just peace and lasting security," the Clintons said.
"It was an honor to work with him, argue with him and watch him always trying to find the right path for his beloved country."
Other American leaders and politicians also paid tribute.
"I was honored to know this man of courage and call him friend," said George W. Bush, the ex-US president whose 2001-2009 tenure in the White House coincided with Sharon`s 2001-2006 premiership.
"He was a warrior for the ages and a partner in seeking security for the Holy Land and a better, peaceful Middle East," Bush said of Sharon.
Republican John Boehner, the speaker of the House of Representatives, \noted the late Israeli leader`s military and political service.
"I join the people of the Jewish state of Israel in mourning the loss of Ariel Sharon, one of the greatest warrior-statesmen in modern history," said Boehner.
"Sharon`s contribution to establishing and defending Israel`s independence is incalculable and his devotion to peace undisputed."
Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic leader in the House, hailed Sharon`s courage "in his decision to disengage from the Gaza Strip," by pulling Israeli forces and settlers out in 2005.
"It was a difficult choice founded in the same tenet that defined so much of Sharon`s career: the national security interest of the people and the nation of Israel," Pelosi added.
Senate Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell praised Sharon as "a legendary military man," who "distinguished himself as a strategist and a soldier in virtually every major Israeli conflict of the second half of the 20th century."
"Israel has lost one of its greatest sons and America a friend in the passing of Ariel Sharon," McConnell added.
