U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon remembers Shimon Peres as constant source of optimism and hope.

Speaking at a U.N. ceremony, sponsored by the Israeli mission to honor Peres’ memory on Thursday, Ban said he would miss Peres’ “clear-eyed perspective — of reaching across the table, of compromising with your neighbor, of finding common ground for the greater good.”

U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power remembered Peres as “a believer in and a builder of peace.”

“His vision of what was necessary to build peace was clear and unwavering; Israel’s security, of course, which he did as much as anyone to strengthen, and Israel’s diplomacy, of which he was a maestro,” Power said in her remarks.

(AP)