Global leaders praise George HW Bush as a calm and vital statesman

Berlin |To Germans, the 41st president of the United States, George Bush, was the man who helped ensure the peaceful reunification of their country. To Mikhail Gorbachev, former leader of the Soviet Union, he exemplified great kindness. To many Kuwaitis, he was a hero for the 100-hour ground war that routed Iraqi forces from their country.

At the weekend, as former and current leaders around the globe learned of Bush's death at 94 on Friday night (Saturday AEDT), their condolences were steeped in praise for the depth of his abilities as a statesman and his refusal to grandstand - which commentators noted was in sharp contrast to the tone of the current US administration.