06 December 2013 - On the passing away of Nelson Mandela, Nobel Peace prize laureate and former President of the Republic of South Africa, the SRSG, José Ramos-Horta, pays him a special tribute in this message of condolences.

A great human being passes away, but he lives through his legacy of courage, integrity, compassion. I was one of the fortunate to have met Mandela on several occasions. The first time I met him was in 1995 when I was a no-body, struggling for freedom of my own country. I was in Johannesburg and someone told Mandela who I was and what I had said: "I'm not leaving without seeing Mandela".

Then within a matter of only two days, I got a message saying Mandela would receive me in his residence. He had just left hospital after knee surgery and he was laying in bed in his private bedroom. I was guided to the room and saw Mandela laying in bed, smiling but with visible pain: "I heard you said you wouldn't leave South Africa until you saw me! And because I'm sure you must have a lot of work to do for your country, I decided to receive you right away so that you wouldn't wait around here!"

I was almost in tears and never forgot that. Good bye Mandela.

Nelson Mandela, aged 95, awarded the Nobel Peace prize in 1993 and President of the Republic of South Africa (1994-1999), died in Johannesburg on Thursday, 5 December, after a long illness.