New York  - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon joined mourners on Wednesday to condole the death of US senator Edward Kennedy, calling him a strong supporter of the United Nations.

"He was not just a friend to those in power and high positions, but even more to those who had neither," Ban said. "He was a voice for those who would otherwise go unheard, a defender of the rights and interests of the defenseless."

Ban said he had benefited from Kennedy's "wise counsel" in numerous encounters before and after he became secretary general in 2007.  (dpa)