BEIRUT: In the eyes of his supporters and many Lebanese across the political divide, former MP and Cabinet Minister Nassib Lahoud, who died at dawn Thursday after a long battle with cancer, will go down in the annals of history as a unique statesman and a moderate politician who fought fiercely for the freedom of his fellow countrymen and Lebanon’s independence and sovereignty against foreign threats.

Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai eulogized Lahoud, who belonged to the Maronite Church, as “a statesman.”

Lahoud’s death was “a big loss to Lebanon and the Lebanese,” Rai said in a statement. “All the Lebanese are in a state of sorrow over his death.”

President Michel Sleiman expressed his deepest condolences, saying he had a lost “a dear friend” with Lahoud’s death.

“Lebanon lost with former MP Nassib Lahoud’s death a wise and moderate man. I present my deepest condolences to his family and all Lebanese,” Sleiman said on his Twitter feed. “I lost a dear friend who was key in forming the first government of my presidential term, and remained a close consultant afterward.”

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri telephoned Lahoud’s family to express his condolences.

Prime Minister Najib Mikati praised Lahoud as “a statesman par excellence.”

“With the death of friend Nassib Lahoud, Lebanon has lost a statesman par excellence. His career has set an example in national and political action,” Mikati said in a statement.

“He was a patriotic man who adopted stances witnessed by all in his love for Lebanon and defending it in all positions and forums. This is in addition to his parliamentary career and his legislative role par excellence over the past years,” he said.

“Nassib Lahoud is one of the men who will be missed by the country. He was a loud voice in carrying the banner of defending Lebanon and the values of freedom, justice and independence,” Mikati said, adding: “The memory of Nassib Lahoud will remain a bright page in the Lebanese conscience.”

Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri expressed deep sorrow over Lahoud’s death, calling him “a brother and a great friend.” He said Lahoud had been a defender of public freedoms and a pillar of the March 14 independence movement which emerged following the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

“Lebanon today lost Nassib Lahoud, the great patriotic man who had played an influential role in political life and left distinctive fingerprints in upholding its democratic path and defending public freedoms,” Hariri said in a statement released by his media office.

“The deceased was a pillar of the Cedar Revolution and the independence movement. No Lebanese has ever known Nassib Lahoud and not found in him nobility, integrity, frankness, courage and honest patriotism,” he said.

“We lost today a man of values and honest principles, as witnessed in his distinctive experiment in Parliament and partisan activity. This was also witnessed in the March 14 squares where he was at the forefront of its ranks, fighting for the sake of getting rid of the eras of domination, subservience and political tyranny,” Hariri added.

Speaking on LBCI Thursdayevening, Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt hailed Lahoud “as a great friend, and a pillar of the Cedar Revolution.”

The French Embassy hailed Lahoud as “a dear friend” to France, describing him as “a Lebanese national figure par excellence.”

“We lost a great person, fully committed to serving his country and its people,” the embassy said in a statement.

Former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said that with Lahoud’s death, Lebanon had lost a great man.

“Lebanon has lost a great man. A statesman who had faith in Lebanon and in its independence, sovereignty, Arabism, openness and respect of human rights,” Siniora said in an interview with Future News television.

“Nassib Lahoud had always been an example of a national statesman who knew how to differentiate between the public and private and who knew how to deal and talk with the others in a smooth and clear manner,” he said.

Unlike the majority of Lebanese politicians who often use their public positions to serve their own interests, disregarding the country’s supreme interest, Lahoud stopped his own businesses when he was offered a public office, first when he served as Lebanon’s ambassador to the United States and later when he was elected as a member of Parliament several times and served as minister of state in Siniora’s Cabinet in 2008 and 2009.

An outspoken critic of Syria’s role in Lebanon, Lahoud, head of the Democratic Renewal Movement, had played a leading role in the March 14 movement that emerged after massive street demonstrations in Beirut in the wake of Hariri’s killing that eventually led to the withdrawal of the Syrian army from Lebanon, ending a 29-year presence.

In a statement eulogizing Lahoud, the movement said the former Metn MP had been “a statesman, a man of moderation and principles.”

“He added to politics its noble meaning and to the [political] practice commitment to values, intellectual and material integrity,” it said.

“He fought battles only for the sake of the freedom of his people, the independence of his country and the sovereignty of his state. If he said something, he matched his words with deeds. If he promised, he honored his promise. He showed moderation during [political] rivalry,” the movement said.

“The Arab democrats have lost a pioneer in civil action, committed to modernity and human rights. Palestine and its people have lost a fully faithful friend,” it said. “Nassib Lahoud was a man committed to the values of freedom, modernity and renewal. He was an example to the values.”

The March 14 parties hailed Lahoud as “a man who led a political school characterized by integrity, honesty and commitment to the country’s issues.”

“He also carried the theme of the transition to the state which has been adopted by the March 14 parties as a slogan until now,” the parties said.

Calling Lahoud the “president of the Lebanese dreams,” they urged March 14 supporters to participate in the Mass to be held for his soul at the Saint George Maronite Cathedral in Beirut Saturday.

Batroun March 14 MP Butros Harb, a colleague of Lahoud as an opposition figure in the 1990s, praised him as the “noblest ally and the most honest friend.”

“It is a sad day for Lebanon because one of its genuine pillars has fallen from his horse. Nassib Lahoud, this genuine civilized face in political and national life, constituted the example which we are missing every day. He was an honest and clean politician who exercised his role with impartiality,” Harb said.

Metn Kataeb MP Sami Gemayel said with Lahoud’s death, “Lebanon in general and the North Metn have lost a very important personality in its history.”

“Nassib Lahoud played an effective role during his political career and in the march of independence and sovereignty starting with Qornet Shehwan up to the Cedar Revolution,” he told the Voice of Lebanon radio station.

Gemayel said that Lahoud had been “a major symbol in the opposition against the Syrian occupation.”