UNITED NATIONS (AP) U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says Nelson Mandela was "a giant for justice" whose "selfless struggle for human dignity, equality and freedom" inspired many people around the world.
"No one did more in our time to advance the values and aspirations of the United Nations," Ban told reporters soon after Mandela's death was announced Thursday.
Ban said he was deeply touched when he met Mandela at his residence in South Africa in February 2009.
"When I thanked him for his life's work, he insisted the credit belonged to others," Ban said. "I will never forget his selflessness and deep sense of shared purpose."
The U.N. Security Council interrupted a meeting on the tribunals for former Yugoslavia and Rwanda and stood for a minute in silent tribute to Mandela.