President of the United States Barack Obama has led tributes to the work of the US diplomat, Richard Holbrooke, who died Monday following heart surgery on Monday at the age of 69.
Obama called him a “true giant of American foreign policy”.
Holbrooke helped broker the 1995 Dayton agreement that ended the Bosnian war. More recently, he was US special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Both Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistani leader Asif Ali Zardari said they were saddened by his death.
But the Taliban said he had failed to survive the pressure of the US-led occupation of Afghanistan.
Holbrooke was meeting Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Washington on Friday morning when he collapsed.
He was taken to George Washington University Hospital, where he underwent a 21-hour operation to repair a tear in his aorta – the largest artery in the human body, which carries oxygenated blood from the heart.
On Monday evening, Obama told reporters: “Michelle and I are deeply saddened by the passing of Richard Holbrooke, a true giant of American foreign policy who has made America stronger, safer and more respected.
“He was a truly unique figure who will be remembered for his tireless diplomacy, love of country, and pursuit of peace.”
Holbrooke deserved much credit for the progress in Afghanistan and Pakistan since he became the US envoy in January 2009, he added.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, said Holbrooke’s sudden passing had left a “huge vacuum”. (BBC)
