Graham Watson mourns the death of a friend and a great European

12.20.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 15th Jul 2008

Prof. Bronislaw Geremek MEP

Following the death of the Polish statesman and former dissident Bronislaw Geremek. Graham Watson Commented on his friend and fellow Liberal MEP;

"With the tragic departure of Bronislaw Geremek Poland loses one of its heroes, a tireless architect of its independence but also of the national reconciliation. Europe also loses one of its most ardent proponents who by the power of his conviction helped enlargement become a political success. Europe mourns a symbol of its reunification.

I am proud to have had such a man among the ranks of Liberals and Democrats in the European Parliament and among my friends. A man of culture, who saw the coming together of peoples possible only through sharing and collaboration; a man whose faith was forged on the anvil of Europe's 20th century dramas; a humanist who will serve as an example for generations to come.

Even with the passage of time his memory will never be erased nor his marvellous and mischievous smile obscured."