World leaders have paid tribute to former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher who died in London on Monday following a stroke. She was 87.
Baroness Thatcher, Britain's first female leader, was Conservative prime minister from 1979 to 1990 and won three successive general elections.
Prime Minister David Cameron said outside 10 Downing Street on Monday that Lady Thatcher's achievements have earned her the enduring respect of the British people.
"As our first woman prime minister, Margaret Thatcher succeeded against all the odds.
''The real thing about Margaret Thatcher is that she didn't just lead our country, she saved our country. And I believe she'll go down as the greatest British peacetime prime minister."
Former Conservative Party chief Lord Michael Dobbs told Radio New Zealand's Morning Report programme she was one of the greatest British leaders of the 20th century, along with Winston Churchill.
He described her as someone who stood up for what she believed in, rather than follow public opinion and polling.
Lord Michael said she had an extraordinary constitution and work ethic that made her an effective politician. He said not many people loved her - but many respected her.
New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said Margaret Thatcher would be remembered as a very strong and determined leader who faced some real challenges in addition to those involving the economy, particularly the conflict with the Irish Republican Army and the Falklands crisis.
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard said her strength of conviction was recognised by her closest supporters and her strongest opponents.
Former Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev said Lady Thatcher will go down in history.
Mr Gorbachev held frequent meetings with her in the 1980s as the Cold War drew to a close. She once famously said of him: "This is a man I can do business with".
Bryan Gould, a British Labour MP during Lady Thatcher's time as leader, and a former vice-chancellor of Waikato University in New Zealand, told Morning Report she was a dominant politician of strong convictions who was profoundly disliked by many people.
However, he said her political fortunes were transformed by her leadership during the Falklands War.
Champion of freedom - Obama
United States President Barack Obama said the world has lost one of the great champions of freedom and liberty.
"With the passing of Baroness Margaret Thatcher, the world has lost one of the great champions of freedom and liberty, and America has lost a true friend," he said in a statement.
Mr Obama, who has two young daughters, said Lady Thatcher "stands as an example to our daughters that there is no glass ceiling that can't be shattered."
Former US Secretary of State Colin Powell told CNN that ''she was tough as nails."
He recalled that Lady Thatcher met President George H W Bush after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and argued for a characteristically tough response. "This is no time to go wobbly, George," she told him.
President Ronald Reagan's widow, Nancy, called her husband and Lady Thatcher "political soul mates" who helped bring about the end of Communism.
In a statement, she praised Lady Thatcher for sticking to her beliefs "at a time when so many were afraid to 'rock the boat.''
