WASHINGTON - United States diplomat Richard Holbrooke, who was President Barack
Obama's special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan and who brokered the peace
deal that ended the war in Bosnia, has died in Washington, DC, He was 69.
Holbrooke became ill on December 10 during a meeting with US Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton at the State Department and was taken to nearby George
Washington Hospital. He had 21 hours of surgery the following day to repair a
tear in his aorta, the major artery that carries blood out of the heart to
other parts of the body.
He underwent a second round of surgery on Sunday and remained in critical
condition, surrounded by his family. Afghan President
Hamid Karzai and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari were among the many world
leaders who called Holbrooke to wish him well.
'A giant of foreign policy'
In a statement, Obama said he and his wife Michelle were deeply saddened at the
news. He called Holbrooke "a true giant of American foreign policy who has made
America stronger, safer, and more respected" and "a truly unique figure who
will be remembered for his tireless diplomacy, love of country, and pursuit of
peace".
The US president added, "The progress that we have made in Afghanistan and
Pakistan is due in no small measure to Richard’s relentless focus on America’s
national interest, and pursuit of peace and security."
Clinton said the country "has lost one of its fiercest champions and most
dedicated public servants" and that as secretary, she had counted on his advice
and relied on his leadership.
"Richard Holbrooke served the country he loved for nearly half a century,
representing the United States in far-flung war zones and high-level peace
talks, always with distinctive brilliance and unmatched determination," Clinton
said in a statement.
"He was one of a kind - a true statesman - and that makes his passing all the
more painful."
Obama appointed the career diplomat in 2009 to be his special representative to
Afghanistan and Pakistan.
In that role, Holbrooke made dozens of trips to the region to meet with both
countries' leaders and implement the White House's civilian strategy in
Afghanistan, overseeing more than 10,000 diplomats and infrastructure, aid, and
governance specialists who are helping to rebuild the country.
As the White House's point person on the nine-year-old war, Holbrooke
maintained a breakneck pace. At a congressional hearing this summer on White
House strategy in Afghanistan, he called his mission "the most difficult job
I've had in my career". But he also said: "I wouldn't be in this job if I
thought it was impossible to succeed."
In April, his doctors forced him to temporarily stop working so he could
undergo a procedure to clear clogged arteries.
'No apologies'
Holbrooke is best known for brokering the 1995 Dayton Peace Accords, which
ended the war in Bosnia. At the time, he was assistant US secretary of state.
That, and other diplomatic victories, helped earn him the nicknames like "the
Bulldozer" and "Raging Bull" for his persistence at convincing warring leaders
to sit down and negotiate.
Holbrooke detailed his experience negotiating the Bosnian peace deal in his
1998 memoir, To End a War.
He began his diplomatic career at the height of the Vietnam War in 1963 and was
only 35 when he became the youngest person ever to hold the position of
assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific affairs.
While serving in the White House under president Lyndon Johnson, Holbrooke
wrote one volume of the "Pentagon Papers", the 1967 internal government study
of US involvement in Vietnam that contained damaging revelations and was
subsequently leaked to the press.
In the 1970s, Holbrooke led Washington's successful efforts to normalize
relations with China.
He served as ambassador to Germany in 1993-94 and in 1998 negotiated an
agreement with then Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic to withdraw Yugoslav
forces from Kosovo, where they were accused of conducting an ethnic cleansing
campaign.
Holbrooke later said: "I make no apologies for negotiating with Milosevic and
even worse people, provided one doesn't lose one's point of view." Despite his
efforts, the deal eventually fell apart.
In 1999, then president Bill Clinton made Holbrooke US ambassador to the United
Nations.
His death comes just days before the White House is set to release its review
of US strategy in Afghanistan, which Holbrooke had been working to help finish.
He is survived by his wife, journalist Kati Marton, and four adult children.
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