BERLIN (AP) — Senior German leaders have gathered in the former capital of Bonn for a memorial to honor the country's longest-serving foreign minister, Hans-Dietrich Genscher.

Among those paying their respects to Genscher at the rare state occasion Saturday are German President Joachim Gauck and Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Foreign dignitaries included James A. Baker III, who served as U.S. President George Bush's secretary of state. Baker worked closely with Genscher as the Iron Curtain fell and East and West Germany were reunited.

Baker praised the diplomatic skills of Genscher, who was foreign minister from 1974 to 1992, recalling that the jovial German "could be as tough as leather on a cowboy's boots."

Genscher died March 31 at age 88 at his home near Bonn. A private funeral is planned.