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TUNIS, July 27-- Tunisian people paid on Saturday their last tribute to the late President Beji Caid Essebsi, who passed away on Thursday morning at the age of 92. Despite the heat, tens of thousands of Tunisian people attended the president's funeral, which was marked by a remarkable foreign presence, including Arab and western heads of states and governments, as well as representatives of regional and international organizations. The leaders who attended the late president's funeral include French President Emmanuel Macron, Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Prime Minister of Libya's UN-backed government Fayez al-Serraj and the Spanish King Felipe VI. Several other official delegations also attended the funeral, including senior officials representing the leaders of Kuwait, Oman and Morocco. The acting Tunisian President Mohamed Ennaceur described Essebsi as an "artisan of the national consensus in Tunisia." "Your absence is a pain and a loss for the homeland," he said during a speech broadcasted on all Tunisian television stations. For his part, al-Serraj said "Essebsi was one of the leaders of the 20th century, a symbol," stressing that the president was an excellent diplomat and his life was marked by his solid positions. "We share the mourning of Tunisia after the departure of a man who dedicated his life to the service of his people and his country," assured the king of Spain during his brief speech. | 
