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Washington: Richard C. Holbrooke America's high profile diplomatic trouble shooter and
Obama administration's point man in the war torn Afghan-Pakistani
region has died after surgery to repair a tear in his aorta. He
was 69.
One of the world's most recognizable diplomats, Holbrooke's five
decade long career spanned from the Vietnam War era to the war
against the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan,
coinciding with presidencies of John
F. Kennedy to Barack Obama.
Holbrooke, who spearheaded the end of the Bosnian war, died Monday
at George Washington University Hospital where he was admitted
last Friday after feeling ill at Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton's office during an ongoing
review of the situation in the Af-Pak region.
Obama called Holbrooke "a true giant of American foreign policy
who has made America stronger, safer, and more respected."
"Tonight, there are millions of people around the world whose
lives have been saved and enriched by his work," Obama said in a
statement.
Clinton said the US had lost "one of its fiercest champions and
most dedicated public servants."
"He was the consummate diplomat, able to stare down dictators and
stand up for America's interests and values even under the most
difficult circumstances," Clinton's statement said, adding: "Few
people have ever left a larger mark on the State Department or our
country."
"He was always a man on a mission, the toughest mission, and that
mission was waging peace through tough as nails, never quit
diplomacy -- and Richard's life's work saved tens of thousands of
lives," John Kerry, Democratic chairman of the Foreign Relations
Committee, said.
Holbrooke was best known for being "the chief architect of the
1995 Dayton Peace Agreement" that ended the Bosnian war -- the
deadly ethnic conflict in the 1990s that erupted during the
breakup of Yugoslavia.
After Obama took office in 2008, Holbrooke took one of the
toughest diplomatic assignments -- US special representative for
Afghanistan and Pakistan.
He was frank in his assessments about the region and officials in
both countries regarded him as abrasive, including Afghan
President Hamid Karzai, CNN said.
In April of 2009, there were reports of a heated argument between
Holbrooke and Karzai after alleged fraud in the Afghan
presidential election, it said.
(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)
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