Hague hails ‘great US hero’ as Reagan statue unveiled

A STATUE of former US President Ronald Reagan has been unveiled to mark 100 years since his birth.

Foreign Secretary William Hague paid tribute to Mr Reagan at the ceremony at the US Embassy in London yesterday morning.

He said: “It is a great honour for me personally to take part in a ceremony for a man who changed the political landscape at the time I first became involved in it.”

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Mr Hague was joined by former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice as the 10ft bronze figure was revealed.

Ms Rice represented the late President’s widow Nancy Reagan at the ceremony, which coincided with the US Independence Day celebrations.

Mr Hague said: “He joins the ranks of great men and women whose statues adorn our London streets: Nelson, Wellington, Lincoln, Churchill, Roosevelt, Edith Cavell and Nelson Mandela.

“Statues bring us to face to face with our heroes long after they are gone. Ronald Reagan is without question a great American hero: one of America’s finest sons, and a giant of 20th-century history. You may be sure that the people of London will take this statue to their hearts.”

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He added that Mr Reagan’s great political ally, former Prime Minister Baroness Thatcher, could not attend the ceremony in Grosvenor Square. Mr Hague said: “She has asked me to say these words to you: Ronald Reagan was a great President and a great man – a true leader for our times. He held clear principles and acted upon them with purpose.

“Through his strength and his conviction he brought millions of people to freedom as the Iron Curtain finally came down.

“It was a pleasure to be his colleague and his friend, and I hope that this statue will be a reminder to future generations of the debt we owe him.”