Israel's UN mission to open condolence book in memory of Shimon Peres

United Nations, Sep 29 The Israeli Mission to the United Nations will open a condolence book in memory of former President Shimon Peres, who passed away in Tev Aviv earlier Wednesday, the mission announced here.

Peres died at 93, two weeks after he suffered a stroke, Xinhua news agency reported.

Leaders and diplomats in New York will be invited to express their condolences, the Israeli mission said in a press release.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday morning said he is deeply saddened by the passing of Peres.

Ban said in a statement issued here by his spokesman that Peres played a central role in Israel's founding, and served his country throughout his life.

"He worked tirelessly for a two-state solution that would enable Israel to live securely and harmoniously with the Palestinians and the wider region, a commitment duly recognised" when he shared the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize with the then Israeli Prime Minister, Yitzhak Rabin, and Yasser Arafat, the chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, said the statement.

The two-state solution, widely backed by the international community, means a secure Israel living in peace with an independent State of Palestine.

Also on Wednesday, Israeli UN ambassador, Danny Danon, expressed sorrow on the passing of the ninth President of Israel, saying that "Shimon Peres' life embodied the narrative of the modern State of Israel, from his youth in the diaspora and his emigration to Israel, to his integral fight for our independence and his tireless work on behalf of our country until his very last days."

IANS