Merkel hails Thatcher as `extraordinary leader`
German Chancellor Angela Merkel hailed former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, who died Monday, as an "extraordinary leader" who played a pivotal role in overcoming Europe`s Cold War division.
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Berlin: German Chancellor Angela Merkel hailed former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, who died Monday, as an "extraordinary leader" who played a pivotal role in overcoming Europe`s Cold War division.
"She was an extraordinary leader in the global politics of her time," Merkel said in a statement. "I will never forget her part in surmounting the division of Europe and at the end of the Cold War."
Merkel, a fellow conservative who was often compared to Thatcher when she became chancellor in 2005, said Thatcher would not be remembered as a "female politician" but one who had blazed a trail for women in the halls of power.
"As she took the highest democratic offices as a woman before that was common, she set an example for many," Merkel said.
She said that Thatcher`s values and principles served as a beacon while Europe was still divided into opposing blocs.
"The liberty of the individual stood at the heart of her convictions -- Margaret Thatcher recognised the power of the freedom movements of Eastern Europe early on and lent them her support," she said.
AFP
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